ilium 


Memoirs 

of  an 
Arabian  Princess 


Memoirs  of  Charming  Women 

Memoirs  of  an  Arabian  Princess,  Translated  by  Lionel  Strachey 
Memoirs  of  Madame  Vigee  Lebrun,  Translated  by  Lionel  Stracbeu 
Memoirs  of  a  Contemporary,  Translated  by  Lionel  Strachey 

Memoirs  of  the  Countess  Potocka.     Translated  by  Lionel  Strachey 

A  Belle  of  the  Fifties,  being  Memoirs       Put  into  narrative  form 
of  Mrs.  Clay  of  Alabama.  bu  Ada  Sterling 

A  Southern  Girl  in  *6I,  By  Mrs.  D.  Giraud  Wright 

Dixie  After  the  War.  By  Myrta  Lockett  AwA> 


THE   AUTHORESS 
Salamah  bint  Said,  afterward  Emily  Ruete 


Memoirs  of  an 

Arabian   Princess 


Translated  by 
LIONEL  STRACHEY 

Illustrated 


New  York 

Doubleday,  Page  &  Company 
1907 


COPYRIGHT,  1007,  BY 

DOUBLBDAY,  PAGB  ft  COMPANY 

PUBLISHED,  SEPTEMBER,  1907 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED, 

INCLUDING  THAT  OP  TRANSLATION  INTO  FOREIGN  LANGUAGES 
INCLUDING  THE  SCANDINAVIAN 


AUTHENTICITY  OF  THESE   MEMOIRS 

THE  work  of  which  a  translation  is  here  offered 
originally  came  out  as  "  Memoiren  einer  ara- 
bischen  Prinzessin."  Published  by  a  Berlin  firm 
in  1886,  it  was  immediately  followed  by  an  English 
edition,  which  seems  to  have  attracted  little 
interest,  both  the  German  and  the  English  versions 
soon  falling  into  obscurity  and  going  out  of  print. 
When  these  memoirs  appeared,  however,  Germany's 
colonial  ambitions  were  newly  fledged ;  the  British 
East  Africa  Protectorate  (which  includes  Zanzi- 
bar) was  still  forming;  the  French  had  only  re- 
cently withdrawn  from  the  joint  control  of  Egypt 
and  Lord  Cromer's  sway  was  but  beginning;  Zulu- 
land  was  an  independent  monarchy;  the  Transvaal 
and  the  Orange  Free  State  were  recognised  as 
republics;  Italian  troops  were  yet  to  be  severely 
defeated  by  Abyssinian  blackamoors;  nobody 
imagined  that  Great  Britain  must  one  day  put 
forth  all  her  strength  to  subdue  fifty  thousand 
Dutch  peasants;  a  "  Cape-to-Cairo "  railway  was 
unthought  of.  Briefly,  to  the  world  at  large  the 
Black  Continent  and  its  peoples  then  meant  less 
than  to-day. 

In  connection  with  these  memoirs  arises  the 
question  of  their  authenticity.  Historical  events 
— like  Bargash's  long-continued  dispute  of  his 


255134 


vi  AUTHENTICITY  OF  THESE  MEMOIRS 

brother  Majid's  succession — anyone  might  have 
got  sufficient  details  about  for  the  purposes  of  a 
free  narrative.  But  this  book  contains  intimate 
revelations  betokening  an  extraordinary  knowledge 
of  Arab  life  in  general  and  of  Zanzibar  royal 
harem  life  in  particular.  Was  the  alleged  writer, 
then,  actually  a  Sultan's  daughter  who  escaped 
from  her  country  and  went  to  live  in  Germany  as 
the  wife  of  a  German  merchant?  So  romantic  a 
supposal  seeming  to  require  confirmation,  the 
translator  wrote  to  an  English  government  official 
well- versed  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  African 
colonies.  He  received  this  reply,  whose  full  im- 
port will  only  be  appreciated  after  perusal  of  the 
memoirs : 

"  I  have  consulted  a  recognised  authority — the 
best — who  doesn't  want  his  name  mentioned, 
but  you  can  take  the  following  as  absolutely 
trustworthy. 

1  'The  lady  certainly  did  exist.  Her  name  was 
Salamah  bint  Said,  and  she  took  the  name  of 
Emily  when  she  turned  Christian.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Seyyid  Said,  Sultan  of  Muscat  and 
Zanzibar,  and  therefore  a  sister  of  Majid,  who 
succeeded  to  thethroneof  Zanzibar,  and  of  Bargash, 
who  followed.  Ruete  was  a  German  trader, 
and  she  unfortunately  became  enceinte  by  him. 
She  escaped  from  Zanzibar  to  Aden,  where  her 
child  was  born,  and  where  she  married  Ruete, 


PRINCE  OTTO  VON  BISMARCK-SCHONHAUSEN 


AUTHENTICITY  OF  THESE  MEMOIRS    vii 

who  had  also  found  it  expedient  to  leave  Zan- 
zibar. 

"  Ruete  was  killed  in  a  tram  accident,  and  she 
then  took  the  title  of  princess,  to  which  she  had 
a  right  by  birth;  whether  she  forfeited  it  by 
marrying  Ruete,  I  can't  say.  She  was  taken  up 
a  good  deal  by  high  personages  in  Germany. 
Subsequently  she  appears  to  have  done  a  good 
deal  of  intriguing  with  Germans — Bismarck  and 
others — who  thought  they  might  make  some  use 
of  her,  but  they  eventually  dropped  her. 

"  She  also  carried  on  some  correspondence  with 
Sultan  Bargash,  but  he  didn't  fall  in  with  her 
views,  declining  to  recognise  her  as  having  any 
status  at  all;  she  used  to  show  her  letters  to  the 
British  agent.  As  for  her  dealings  with  Frere, 
I  can  learn  nothing,  but  I  expect  your  information 
is  substantially  correct." 


PREFACE 

NINE  years  ago  I  conceived  the  idea  of  writing 
down  some  facts  for  the  information  of  my  chil- 
dren, who  at  that  time  knew  nothing  about  my 
origin  except  that  I  was  Arabian  and  had  come 
from  Zanzibar.  Exhausted  in  body  and  in  mind, 
I  did  not  then  expect  to  live  until  they  were 
grown  up,  did  not  think  I  should  ever  relate  to 
them  verbally  the  happenings  of  my  youth  and 
the  course  of  my  fate.  Hence  I  determined  to 
record  my  story  on  paper.  My  memoirs  were 
not  at  first  intended  for  the  general  public,  but 
for  my  children,  to  whom  I  wished  to  bequeath 
them  as  a  heritage  of  faithful  motherly  love. 
Finally,  however,  upon  urgent  persuasion,  I 
consented  to  have  them  published. 

I  finished  these  pages  some  years  ago,  and  only 
the  last  chapter  forms  a  recent  addition,  made  be- 
cause of  a  voyage  I  undertook  to  my  old  home, 
Zanzibar,  with  my  children.  May  my  book  go  out 
into  the  world,  and  may  it  meet  with  as  many  friends 
as  was  my  happy  lot  to  find. 

Berlin,  May,  1886.  EMILY  RUETE, 

nee  Princess  of  Oman  and  Zanzibar. 


IX 


CONTENTS 

PAGB 

AUTHENTICITY  OF  THESE  MEMOIRS      .  .         v 

PREFACE  .....         ix 

CHAPTER  I.     FAMILY  HISTORY 

The  Palace  of  Bet  il  Mtoni — The  Bath-houses — Eques- 
trian and  Other  Amusements — Princess  Salamah's  Father 
— Purchase  of  her  Mother— Seyyid  Said's  Principal  and 
Secondary  Wives — His  Children — The  Benjile — A  Ques- 
tion of  Discipline — Brother  Majid  Reaches  his  Majority 
— The  Authoress's  First  Change  of  Residence  .  3 

CHAPTER  II.     BET  IL  WATORO 

Mahometan  Belief  in  Foreordination — Parting  Gifts — 
A  Little  Journey  by  State  Cutter — Bet  il  Watoro — Ara- 
bian House  Furniture  and  Decoration — Homesickness — 
Majid's  Fighting-cocks — Amazonian  Accomplishments — 
Oral  Messages  and  Written — Chaduji  the  Haughty  .  18 

CHAPTER  III.     BET  IL  SAHEL 

A  Cross-grained  Doorkeeper — Fascinations  of  Chole — The 
Veranda  at  Bet  il  Sahel — Life  in  the  Courtyard — An 
Outdoor  Butchery,  Kitchen,  and  Larder — Love  of  Arabs 
for  their  Horses — Social  Distinctions  at  Table — Why  Bet 
il  Sahel  was  Preferable  to  Bet  il  Mtoni— Race  Hatred  be- 
tween Circassians  and  Abyssinians — Curshit — Enforced 
Tuition  .  .  .  .  .  .  .31 

CHAPTER  IV.     FURTHER  REMINISCENCES   OF 
CHILDHOOD 

Juvenile  Tricks — Princess  Salamah  Climbs  a  Palm  Tree 
— Majid's  Seizure  —  A  Family  Quarrel  which  Ends    in 
Divorce  and  Another  Change  of  Abode  for  the  Authoress 
— Extravagance  of  a  Persian  Sultana — More  Divorce — 
Lessons  in  Caligraphy  .  .  ...  .43 

xi 


xii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  V.     NATIONAL  SINGULARITIES 

PA«E 

The  Vaunted  Activity  of  Northern  Peoples — Infant  Dress 
— A  Climate  Favouring  Ease — Prayer  Five  Times  a  Day 
— Intervening  Pursuits — Chewing  Betel — Going  to  Bed 
— Menu  a  la  Zanzibar — Real  Coffee  .  .  -S3 

CHAPTER  VI.     CEREMONIES  FOR  NEWLY  BORN 

Birth — Tight  Bandaging — Shaving  of  the  Head— Protec- 
tion Against  the  Evil  Eye — The  Sitting  Ceremony — Black 
Nurses  and  European — Hardiness  of  Oriental  Children  .  65 

CHAPTER  VII.     SCHOOL 

An  Outdoor  Classroom — Primitive  Apparatus  for  Study 
— Play  before  Work — The  Course  of  Instruction — Verbal 
Term  Reports — Bribing  the  Schoolmarm — Defects  of 
European  Education — Civilisation  and  Religion  .  '75 


CHAPTER  VIII.     FEMALE  FASHIONS 

Yearly  Distribution  of  Clothing  Materials — Simple  Wants 

of  Arabian  Women — The  Shale — The  Rainy  Season  .        85 


CHAPTER  IX.  THE  SULTAN'S  VOYAGE  TO  OMAN 

Persian  Hostility  in  Asia — Provisioning  the  Ships — 
Relatives  in  Oman — Difficulties  of  Corresponding  with 
Them— The  Departure— Khaled  Represents  Seyyid  Said 
— Choleas  Lady  Superintendent — The  Sultan's  Strangely 
Prolonged  Absence — Resort  to  Professional  Seers — 
Soothsaying  by  Ventriloquism  .  .  .  .92 

CHAPTER  X.     DEATH  OF  SEYYID  SAID 

Preparations  for  the  Sultan's  Return — Majid  Sets  Out 
to  Meet  Him — The  Palace  Surrounded  by  Order  of  Bar- 
gash — Who  Wants  to  Usurp  the  Throne — Arrival  of  the 
Sultan's  Dead  Body — Majid's  Return — Court  Mourning 
— Majid's  Irregular  Succession — Severance  of  Zanzibar 
from  Oman — Division  of  Seyyid  Said's  Property  .  101 


CONTENTS  xiii 

CHAPTER  XL     THE  POSITION  OF  WOMAN  IN 

THE  EAST  PAGE 

Unhappy  Western  Matches — Seclusion  from  the  Male  Sex 
— Polygamy  and  Monogamy — Consideration  Toward 
Wives — Redress  Against  Husbands — Domestic  Prerog- 
atives of  the  Women — Their  Cheerfulness — Impenetra- 
bility of  the  Harem — Divorce  Easy — Examples  Dis- 
proving the  ' '  Inferiority ' '  of  Oriental  Women  .  112 

CHAPTER    XII.      ARABIAN    SUITORSHIP    AND 
MARRIAGE 

First  Acquaintance — Generally  by  Hearsay — Girls  Free 
to  Reject  Suitors — Formalities  to  be  Observed  by  the 
Bride — Wedding  Rites  .  .  .  .  .126 

CHAPTER  XIII.     SOCIAL  CUSTOMS 

Calls  Made  in  the  Evening — With  Escort  of  Armed 
Slaves — Form  of  Reception  by  the  Hostess — Etiquette 
Concerning  Slippers — Conversation — Rigid  Exclusion  of 
Men  from  Assemblies  of  Women — Saying  Good-bye — 
Royal  Audiences — Order  of  Proceedings  Thereat — Obli- 
gation to  Attend  Them — Visits  Between  Men  .  -133 

CHAPTER  XIV.     MAHOMETAN  FESTIVALS 

The  Month  of  Ramadan — Daily  Fasting — Nocturnal 
Feasting  and  Hospitality — Presentation  of  Holiday 
Gifts — Watching  for  the  New  Moon — General  Rejoicings 
— The  Banyans — Henna,  and  the  Way  to  Use  It — Public 
Prayers — The  "Great  Feast" — Pilgrimages  to  Mecca — A 
Tenth  to  the  Poor — How  Pauperism  is  Consequently  a 
Necessary  Institution  .  .  .  .  1 43 

CHAPTER  XV.  MEDICAL  TREATMENT 

Cupping — Kneading — Swallowing  Sentences  from  the 
Koran — Consultation  of  Foreign  Physicians — Maltreat- 
ment by  Domestic  Remedies — Superstitious  Practices — 
Possession  by  Spirits,  Good  and  Evil — Exorcism  and 
Propitiation — Female  Doctors  Needed  in  Zanzibar  .  158 


xiv  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XVI.     SLAVERY  PAGE 

A  Ruinous  Release  of  Slaves — Idleness  of  the  Negro — A 
Defence  of  Flogging — Slaves  and  Concubines  Kept  by 
Europeans  in  the  East — To  Abolish  a  Time-Honoured 
Custom,  Go  Slow — Moslem  "Fanaticism"  .  .167 

CHAPTER  XVII.   HISTORY  OF  A  DYNASTIC  PLOT 

The  Authoress  Loses  her  Mother — Family  Dissensions — 
Princess  Salamah's  Equivocal  Position — She  Casts  in  her 
Lot  with  Bargash — Who  Aspires  to  the  Crown  and 
Forms  a  Conspiracy  to  Dethrone  Majid — Bargash's 
House  Surrounded — His  Abduction  in  Woman's  Garb — 
Defeat  of  his  Partisans — His  Return — And  Rejection  of 
Majid's  Peaceful  Overtures — The  Pretender's  House  Fired 
On  by  British  Marines — Submission  and  Banishment 
of  Bargash  .  .  .  .  .  .  .174 

CHAPTER  XVIII.  TERM  OF  RURAL  RESIDENCE 

Complicated  Relations  with  an  Invisible  Steward — Life 
on  the  Plantation  of  Kisimbani — And  of  Bububu — Sale 
of  Bububu — In  Town  Again — Reconciliation  with  Majid 
— Quarrel  with  Chole — Oriental  Hatred  of  Dissemblance 
— Great  Fidelity  in  Friendship  .  .  .  .190 

CHAPTER  XIX.     ELOPEMENT  FROM  ZANZIBAR 

Acquaintance  with  Herr  Ruete — The  Escape — Marriage 
at  Aden — Brief  Happiness  in  Hamburg — Subsequent 
German  Days  .  .  .  .  .  -199 

CHAPTER  XX.     ENGLISH  DIPLOMACY 

Journey  to  London — Interview  with  Sir  Bartle  Frere 
— The  Choice  Offered — Avoidance  of  Meeting  Bargash — 
Return  to  Germany — Disappointment — Duplicity  of  the 
British  Government — Its  Motive  .  .  .  .203 

CHAPTER  XXI.     VISIT  TO  THE  OLD  HOME 

Embarkation — Alexandria — Egyptian  Dislike  of  the 
English— Travel  in  the  Suez  Canal— The  Red  Hot  Sea- 
Arrival — Welcome  by  the  Populace — Causing  Displeasure 
to  Seyyid  Bargash — His  Official  Factotum  an  Ex- Lamp- 
cleaner — Dilapidation  and  Decay — Bargash's  Frightful 
Cruelty — The  Authoress's  Claims  Unsettled — British 
Influence  Over  the  Sultan — Conclusion  .  .  .211 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Authoress   (Salamah  bint  Said,   after- 
ward Emily  Ruete)      .          .          Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Prince  Otto  Von  Bismark  Schonhausen  .  vi 
The  Sultan's  Palace  to-day  ...  6 

Ruins  of  Princess  Salamah's  early  home  .  16 

Seafront  of  the  City  of  Zanzibar.  .  .  22 

Panorama  of  the  City  of  Zanzibar  .  .  28 

Bringing  fruit  into  town  .  .  .  -36 

Type  of  Oman  Arab  .  .  .  .  50 

Native  musician  ;••„.'-  .  .  ...  •  .  60 

Native  coffee-peddlar  ...  ;  .  .  .  62 

Picking  cloves  for  export  .  . '  .  ,  86 
Muscat  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 

century      r          .          .          .          .  .92 

Waterfront  of  Majid's  Capital  ...  96 

Seyyid  Bargash          .          .          .          .  .104 

AH  Bin  Hamud    .          .          .          ...  no 

Members  of  an  Arabian  harem  .  .  .126 

In  Zanzibar's  commercial  quarter  .  .  134 

British  sailors  playing  cricket  at  Zanzibar  .  144 
Pilgrims  surrounding  the  pulpit  and  Kaaba 

(Sacred  Shrine)  at  Mecca         .          .  154 


xvi  ILLUSTRATIONS 

At  the  municipal  fountain .          .          .          .168 
Water-carriers  practising  their  vocation  .  170 

Nasir  Bin  Said .          .          .          .          .          .176 

TariaTopon 186 

Suahili  mother  and  child    .          .          .          .192 
"  Free  City  of  Hamburg"  before  its  incorpor- 
ation with  the  present  German  Empire     200 
Emperor  William  I.  of  Germany     .          .  204 

Count  Bernhard  E.  V.  Biilow      ...          .     206 

Sir  Bartle  Frere 208 

Lady  Frere  receiving  Seyyid  Bargash  at  a 

garden  party       .          .          .          .          .214 
Square  of  the  Consuls,  Alexandria.          .  216 

Commercial  Street,  Port  Said      .          .          .220 
The  Port  of  Aden  224 


Memoirs 

of  an 
Arabian  Princess 


CHAPTER  I 
FAMILY  HISTORY 

THE  PALACE  OF  BET  IL  MTONI — THE  BATH- 
HOUSES  EQUESTRIAN  AND  OTHER  AMUSE- 
MENTS— PRINCESS  SALAMAH'S  FATHER — PUR- 
CHASE OF  HER  MOTHER SEYYID  SAID'S  PRIN- 
CIPAL AND  SECONDARY  WIVES HIS  CHILDREN 

THE    BENJILE — A    QUESTION    OF    DISCIPLINE 

BROTHER   MAJID   REACHES  HIS  MAJORITY 

THE   AUTHORESS'S   FIRST   CHANGE    OF    RESI- 
DENCE 

TT  WAS  at  Bet  il  Mtoni,  our  oldest  palace 
*  in  the  island  of  Zanzibar,  that  I  first  saw 
the  light  of  day,  and  I  remained  there  until 
I  reached  my  seventh  year.  Bet  il  Mtoni  is 
charmingly  situated  on  the  seashore,  at  a 
distance  of  about  five  miles  from  the  town  of 
Zanzibar,  in  a  grove  of  magnificent  cocoanut 
palms,  mango  trees,  and  other  tropical  giants. 
My  birthplace  takes  its  name  from  the  little 
stream  Mtoni,  which,  running  down  a  short  way 
from  the  interior,  forks  out  into  several  branches 
as  it  flows  through  the  palace  grounds,  in  whose 
immediate  rear  it  empties  into  the  beautiful 
sparkling  sheet  of  water  dividing  Zanzibar  from 
the  continent  of  Africa. 

3 


4  MEMOIRS  OF 

A  single,  spacious  courtyard  is  allotted  to  the 
whole  body  of  buildings  that  compose  the  palace, 
and  in  consequence  of  the  variety  of  these  struc- 
tures, probably  put  up  by  degrees  as  necessity 
demanded,  the  general  effect  was  repellent  rather 
than  attractive.  Most  perplexing  to  the  unin- 
itiated were  the  innumerable  passages  and  cor- 
ridors. Countless,  too,  were  the  apartments  of 
the  palace;  their  exact  disposition  has  escaped 
my  memory,  though  I  have  a  very  distinct  recol- 
lection of  the  bathing  arrangements  at  Bet  il 
Mtoni.  A  dozen  basins  lay  all  in  a  row  at  the 
extreme  end  of  the  courtyard,  so  that  when  it 
rained  you  could  visit  this  favourite  place  of 
recuperation  only  with  the  help  of  an  umbrella. 
The  so-called  " Persian"  bath  stood  apart  from 
the  rest;  it  was  really  a  Turkish  bath,  and  there 
was  no  other  in  Zanzibar.  Each  bath-house 
contained  two  basins  of  about  four  yards  by 
three,  the  water  reaching  to  the  breast  of  a  grown- 
up person.  This  resort  was  highly  popular  with 
the  residents  of  the  palace,  most  of  whom  were  in 
the  habit  of  spending  several  hours  a  day  there, 
saying  their  prayers,  doing  their  work,  reading, 
sleeping,  or  even  eating  and  drinking.  From  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  twelve  at  night  there 
was  constant  movement;  the  stream  of  people 
coming  and  leaving  never  ceased. 

Entering  one  of  the  bath-houses — they  were 
all  built  on  the  same  plan — you  beheld  two  raised 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  5 

platforms,  one  at  the  right  and  one  at  the  left, 
laid  with  finely  woven  matting,  for  praying  or 
simply  resting  on.  Anything  in  the  way  of 
luxury,  such  as  a  carpet,  was  forbidden  here. 
Whenever  the  Mahometan  says  his  prayers  he  is 
supposed  to  put  on  a  special  garment,  perfectly 
clean — white  if  possible — and  used  for  no  other 
purpose.  Of  course  this  rather  exacting  rule  is 
obeyed  only  by  the  extremely  pious.  Narrow 
colonnades  ran  between  the  platforms  and  the 
basins,  which  were  uncovered  except  for  the  blue 
vault  of  heaven.  Arched  stone  bridges  and  steps 
led  to  other,  entirely  separate  apartments.  Each 
bath-house  had  its  own  public;  for,  be  it  known, 
a  severe  system  of  caste  ruled  at  Bet  il  Mtoni, 
rigidly  observed  by  high  and  low. 

Orange  trees,  as  tall  as  the  biggest  cherry  trees 
here  in  Germany,  bloomed  in  profusion  all  along 
the  front  of  the  bath-houses,  and  in  their  hospitable 
branches  we  frightened  children  found  refuge 
many  a  time  from  our  horribly  strict  school- 
mistress! Human  beings  and  animals  occupied 
the  vast  courtyard  together  quite  amicably,  with- 
out disturbing  each  other  in  the  very  least; 
gazelles,  peacocks,  flamingoes,  guinea  fowl,  ducks, 
and  geese  strayed  about  at  their  pleasure,  and 
were  fed  and  petted  by  old  and  young.  A  great 
delight  for  us  little  ones  was  to  gather  up  the  eggs 
lying  on  the  ground,  especially  the  enormous 
ostrich  eggs,  and  to  convey  them  to  the  head- 


6  MEMOIRS  OF 

cook,  who  would  reward  us  for  our  pains  with 
choice  sweetmeats. 

Twice  a  day,  early  in  the  morning  and  again 
in  the  evening,  we  children — those  of  us  who  were 
over  five  years  old — were  given  riding  lessons  by 
a  eunuch  in  this  courtyard,  without  at  all  dis- 
turbing the  tranquillity  of  our  animal  friends. 
As  soon  as  we  had  attained  sufficient  skill  in  the 
equestrian  art,  our  father  presented  us  with  beasts 
of  our  own.  A  boy  would  be  allowed  to  pick  out 
ahorse  from  the  Sultan's  stables,  while  the  girls 
received  handsome,  white  Muscat  mules,  richly 
caparisoned.  Riding  is  a  favourite  amusement 
in  a  country  where  theatres  and  concerts  are  un- 
known, and  frequently  races  were  held  out  in  the 
open,  which  but  too  often  would  end  with  an 
accident.  On  one  occasion  a  race  nearly  cost  me 
my  life.  In  my  great  eagerness  not  to  be  out- 
stripped by  my  brother  Hamdan,  I  galloped 
madly  onward  without  observing  a  huge  bent 
palm  tree  before  me;  I  did  not  become  aware  of 
the  obstacle  until  I  was  just  about  to  run  my 
head  against  it,  and,  threw  myself  back,  greatly 
terrified,  in  time  to  escape  a  catastrophe. 

A  peculiar  feature  of  Bet  il  Mtoni  were  the 
multitudinous  stairways,  quite  precipitous  and 
with  steps  apparently  calculated  for  Goliath. 
And  even  at  that  you  went  straight  on,  up  and  up, 
with  never  a  landing  and  never  a  turn,  so  that 
there  was  scarcely  any  hope  of  reaching  the  top 


8  MEMOIRS  OF 

As  one  of  Seyyid  Said's  youngest  children,  I 
never  knew  him  without  his  venerable  white 
beard.  Taller  in  stature  than  the  average,  his 
face  expressed  remarkable  kindness  and  amiability 
though  at  the  same  time  his  appearance  could 
not  but  command  immediate  respect.  Despite 
his  pleasure  in  war  and  conquest,  he  was  a 
model  for  us  all,  whether  as  parent  or  ruler. 
His  highest  ideal  was  justice,  and  in  a  case  of 
delinquency  he  would  make  no  distinction  be- 
tween one  of  his  own  sons  and  an  ordinary  slave. 
Above  all,  he  was  humility  itself  before  God  the 
Almighty;  unlike  so  many  of  great  estate,  ar- 
rogant pride  was  foreign  to  his  nature,  and  more 
than  once,  when  a  common  slave  of  long  and 
faithful  service  took  a  wife,  my  father  would  have 
a  horse  saddled,  and  ride  off  alone  to  offer  the 
newly  wedded  couple  his  good  wishes  in  person. 

My  mother  was  a  Circassian  by  birth,  She, 
together  with  a  brother  and  a  sister,  led  a  peaceful 
existence  on  my  father's  farm.  Of  a  sudden, 
war  broke  out,  the  country  was  overrun  by  law- 
less hordes,  and  our  little  family  took  refuge 
"in  a  place  that  was  under  the  ground " — as  my 
mother  put  it,  probably  meaning  a  cellar,  a  thing 
unknown  in  Zanzibar.  But  the  desperate  ruf- 
fians found  them  out;  they  murdered  both  of 
my  mother's  parents,  and  carried  away  the  three 
children  on  horseback.  No  tidings  ever  reached 
my  mother  as  to  the  fate  of  either  brother,  or 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  9 

sister.  She  must  have  come  into  my  father's 
possession  at  a  tender  age,  as  she  lost  her  first 
tooth  at  his  home,  and  was  brought  up  with  two 
of  my  sisters  of  her  own  years  as  companions. 
Like  them  she  learned  to  read,  an  accomplishment 
which  distinguished  her  above  the  other  women 
in  her  position,  who  usually  came  when  they  were 
at  least  sixteen  or  eighteen,  and  by  that  time  of 
course  had  no  ambition  to  sit  with  little  tots  on  a 
hard  schoolroom  mat.  She  was  not  good-looking, 
but  was  tall  and  well-built,  and  had  black  eyes; 
her  hair  also  was  black,  and  it  reached  down  to 
her  knees.  Of  a  sweet,  gentle  disposition,  nothing 
appealed  to  her  more  than  to  help  someone  who 
might  be  in  trouble.  She  was  always  ready  to 
visit,  and  even  to  nurse  invalids;  to  this  very  day 
I  remember  how  she  would  go  from  one  sick  bed  to 
another,  book  in  hand,  to  read  out  pious  counsels 
of  comfort. 

My  mother  had  considerable  influence  with 
Seyyid  Said,  who  rarely  denied  her  wishes,  though 
they  were  for  the  most  part  put  forward  on  behalf 
of  others.  Then,  too,  when  she  came  to  see  him, 
he  would  rise,  and  step  toward  her — a  signal 
distinction.  Mild  and  quiet  by  nature,  she  was 
conspicuously  modest,  and  was  honest  and  open 
in  all  things.  Her  intellectual  attainments  were 
of  no  great  account;  on  the  other  hand,  she  showed 
admirable  skill  at  needlework.  To  me  she  was 
a  tender,  loving  mother,  which,  however,  did  not 


io  MEMOIRS  OF 

prevent  her  from  punishing  me  severely  when  I 
deserved  it.  Her  friends  at  Bet  il  Mtoni  were 
numerous,  a  rare  circumstance  for  a  woman  be- 
longing to  an  Arab  household.  No  one's  faith 
in  God  could  have  been  stronger.  I  call  to  mind 
a  fire,  which  broke  out  one  moonlight  night  in 
the  stables,  while  my  father  was  in  town  with  his 
retinue.  Upon  a  false  alarm  that  our  house  had 
caught,  my  mother  seized  me  under  one  arm  and 
her  large  Koran  under  the  other, .  and  ran  out 
of  doors.  Nothing  else  concerned  her,  in  that 
moment  of  peril. 

So  far  as  I  can  remember,  my  father — the  Seyyid, 
or  Sultan — had  only  one  principal  wife,  from  the 
time  I  was  born;  the  other,  secondary  wives, 
numbering  seventy-five  at  his  death,  he  had 
bought  from  time  to  time.  His  principal  wife, 
Azze  bint  Sef,  of  the  royal  house  of  Oman,  held 
absolute  sway  in  his  home.  Although  small  and 
insignificant-looking,  she  exercised  a  singular  power 
over  her  husband,  who  fell  in  readily  with  all  of 
her  ideas.  Toward  the  the  Sultan's  other  wives  and 
to  his  children  she  behaved  with  domineering 
haughtiness  and  censoriousness ;  luckily  she  had  no 
children  of  her  own,  else  their  tyranny  would 
certainly  have  been  unendurable.  Every  ©rife  of 
my  father's  children — there  were  thirty-six  when  he 
died — was  by  a  secondary  wife,  so  that  we  were 
all  equals,  and  no  questions  as  to  the  colour  of 
our  blood  needed  to  be  raised, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  n 

This  principal  wife,  who  had  to  be  addressed 
as  "Highness"  (for  which  the  Arabic  is  Seyyid, 
and  the  Suahili  Bibi),  was  hated  and  feared  by 
young  and  old,  high  and  low,  and  liked  by  none. 
To  this  day  do  I  remember  how  stiffly  she  would 
pass  everybody  by,  hardly  ever  dropping  a  smile 
or  a  word.  How  different  was  our  kind  old 
father!  He  always  had  a  pleasant  greeting  to 
give,  whether  the  person  was  one  of  consequence 
or  a  lowly  subordinate.  But  my  high  and  mighty 
stepmother  knew  how  to  keep  herself  on  the  top 
of  her  exalted  rank,  and  no  one  ever  ventured 
into  her  presence  without  being  specially  invited. 
I  never  observed  her  to  go  out  unless  grandly 
escorted,  excepting  when  she  went  with  the 
Sultan  to  their  bath-house,  intended  for  their 
exclusive  use.  Indoors,  whoever  met  her  was 
completely  awestruck,  as  is  a  private  soldier 
here  in  the  presence  of  a  general.  Thus  the  im- 
portance she  gave  herself  was  felt  plainly  enough, 
although  upon  the  whole  it  did  not  seriously 
spoil  the  charm  of  life  at  Bet  il  Mtoni.  Custom 
demanded  that  all  of  my  brothers  and  sisters 
should  go  and  wish  her  a  "good  morning"  every 
day;  but  wg  detested  her  so  cordially  that  scarcely 
one  of  us  ever  went  before  breakfast,  which  was 
served  in  her  apartments,  and  in  this  way  she  lost 
a  lot  of  the  deference  she  was  so  fond  of  exacting. 

Of  my  senior  brothers  and  sisters  some  were 
old  enough  to  have  been  my  grandparents,  and 


12  MEMOIRS  OF 

one  of  my  sisters  had  a  son  with  a  grey  beard. 
In  our  home  no  preference  was  shown  to  the  sons 
above  the  daughters,  as  seems  to  be  imagined  in 
Germany.  I  do  not  know  of  a  single  case  in  which 
a  father  or  mother  cared  more  for  a  son  than  for 
a  daughter  simply  because  he  was  a  son.  All  that 
is  quite  a  mistake.  If  the  law  allows  the  male 
offspring  certain  privileges  and  advantages — for 
example,  in  the  matter  of  inheritance — no  dis- 
tinction is  made  in  the  home  treatment  given  to 
children.  It  is  natural  enough,  and  human  too, 
that  sometimes  one  child  should  be  preferred  to 
another,  whether  here  in  this  country  or  in  that 
far  southern  land,  even  though  the  fact  may  not 
be  openly  acknowledged.  So  with  my  father; 
only  it  happened  that  his  favourite  children  were 
not  boys,  but  two  of  my  sisters,  Sharif e  and 
Chole.  One  day  my  lively  young  brother  Hamdan 
— we  were  both  about  nine  years  old  at  the  time 
— accidentally  shot  an  arrow  into  my  side,  with- 
out, however,  doing  me  much  injury.  The  af- 
fair coming  to  my  father's  ears,  he  said  to  me: 
"Salamah,  send  Hamdan  here";  and  he  scolded 
the  offender  in  such  terms  as  to  make  his  ears 
tingle  for  many  a  day  after. 

The  pleasantest  spot  at  Bet  il  Mtoni  was  the 
benjile — close  to  the  sea,  in  front  of  the  main 
building — a  huge,  circular,  open  structure  where 
a  ball  could  have  been  given,  had  such  a  custom 
been  in  vogue  with  our  people.  This  benjile 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  13 

somewhat  resembled  a  merry-go-round,  since  the 
roof,  too,  was  circular;  the  tent-shaped  roof, 
the  flooring,  the  balustrades,  all  were  of  painted 
wood.  Here  my  dear  father  was  wont  to  pace 
up  and  down  by  the  hour  with  bent  brow,  sunk 
in  deep  reflection.  He  limped  slightly;  during 
a  battle  a  ball  had  struck  his  thigh,  where  it  was 
now  permanently  lodged,  hindering  his  gait, 
and  occasionally  giving  him  pains.  A  great  many 
cane  chairs — several  dozen,  I  am  sure — stood 
about  the  benjile,  but  besides  these,  and  an  enor- 
mous telescope  for  general  use,  it  contained  nothing 
else.  The  view  from  our  circular  look-out  was 
splendid.  The  Sultan  was  in  the  habit  of  taking 
coffee  here  two  or  three  times  a  day  with  Azze 
bint  Sef  and  all  of  his  adult  offspring.  Whoever 
wanted  to  speak  to  my  father  in  private  would  be 
apt  to  find  him  alone  in  this  place  at  certain  hours. 
Opposite  the  benjile  the  warship  //  Ramahni  lay 
at  anchor  the  year  round,  her  purpose  being  to 
wake  us  up  early  by  a  discharge  of  cannon  during 
the  month  of  fasting,  and  to  man  the  rowboats 
we  so  often  employed.  A  tall  mast  was  planted 
before  the  benjile,  intended  for  the  hoisting  of 
the  signal  flags  which  ordered  the  desired  boats 
and  sailors  ashore. 

As  for  our  culinary  department,  Arabian  cook- 
ing, and  Persian  and  Turkish  as  well,  prevailed 
both  at  Bet  il  Mtoni  and  Bet  il  Sahel.  For  both 
establishments  harboured  persons  of  various  races, 


14  MEMOIRS  OF 

with  bewitching  loveliness  and  the  other  extreme 
fully  represented.  But  only  Arabian  dress  was 
allowed  to  us,  while  the  blacks  wore  the  Suahili 
costume.  If  a  Circassian  arrived  in  her  flapping 
garments  or  an  Abyssinian  in  her  fantastic  dra- 
peries, either  was  obliged  to  change  within  three 
days,  and  to  wear  the  Arabian  clothes  provided 
her.  As  in  this  country  every  woman  of  good 
standing  considers  a  hat  and  a  pair  of  gloves 
indispensable  articles,  in  the  East  ornaments  are 
essential.  In  fact  ornaments  are  so  imperative 
that  one  even  sees  beggar-women  wearing  them 
while  plying  their  trade. 

At  his  Zanzibar  residences  and  at  his  palace  of 
Muscat,  in  Oman,  my  father  kept  treasuries  full  of 
Spanish  gold  coins,  English  guineas,  and  French 
louis;  but  they  contained  as  well  all  sorts  of 
jewellery  and  kindred  female  adornments,  from 
the  simplest  trifles  to  coronets  set  in  diamonds,  all 
acquired  with  the  object  of  being  given  away. 
Whenever  the  family  was  increased,  through  the 
purchase  of  another  secondary  wife  or  the  birth 
— a  very  frequent  event — of  a  new  prince  or 
princess,  the  door  of  the  treasury  was  opened,  so 
that  the  newcomer  might  be  suitably  endowed 
according  to  his,  or  her  rank  and  position.  In 
case  of  a  child  being  born,  the  Sultan  would 
usually  visit  mother  and  child  on  the  seventh 
day,  when  he  would  bring  ornaments  for  the  infant. 
A  newly  arrived  secondary  wife  would  likewise 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  15 

be  presented  with  the  proper  jewellery  soon  after  she 
was  bought,  and  at  the  same  time  the  head  eunuch 
would  appoint  the  domestics  for  her  special  service. 
Although  my  father  observed  the  greatest 
simplicity  for  himself,  he  was  exacting  toward 
the  members  of  his  household.  None  of  us,  from 
the  oldest  child  to  the  youngest  eunuch,  might 
ever  appear  before  him  except  in  full  dress.  We 
small  girls  used  to  wear  our  hair  braided  in  a  lot 
of  slender  little  plaits,  as  many  as  twenty  of  them, 
sometimes;  the  ends  were  tied  together;  and  from 
the  middle  a  massive  gold  ornament,  often  embel- 
lished with  precious  stones,  hung  down  the  back. 
Or  a  minute  gold  medal,  with  a  pious  inscription, 
was  appended  to  each  little  plait,  a  much  more 
becoming  way  of  dressing  the  hair.  At  bed- time 
nothing  was  taken  off  us  but  these  ornaments, 
which  were  restored  next  morning.  Until  we 
were  old  enough  to  go  about  veiled,  we  girls  wore 
fringes,  the  same  that  are  fashionable  in  Germany 
now.  One  morning  I  surreptitiously  escaped 
without  having  my  fringe  dressed,  and  went  to  my 
father  for  the  French  bonbons  he  used  to  dis- 
tribute among  his  children  every  morning,  but 
instead  of  receiving  the  anticipated  sweetmeats, 
I  was  packed  out  of  the  room  because  of  my  unfin- 
ished toilette,  and  marched  off  by  an  attendant 
to  the  place  from  which  I  had  decamped.  Thence- 
forth I  took  good  care  never  to  present  myself 
incompletely  beautified  before  the  paternal  eye! 


1 6  MEMOIRS  OF 

Among  my  mother's  intimates  were  two  of  the 
secondary  wives  who  were  Circassian,  like  her- 
self, and  who  came  from  the  same  district  as  she 
did.  Now,  one  of  my  Circassian  stepmothers 
had  two  children,  Chaduji  and  her  younger 
brother  Majid,  and  their  mother  had  made  an 
agreement  with  mine  that  whichever  parent 
survived,  should  care  for  the  children  of  both. 
However,  when  Chaduji  and  Majid  lost  their 
mother  they  were  big  enough  to  do  without  the 
help  of  mine.  It  was  usual  in  our  family  for  the 
boys  to  remain  under  maternal  tutelage  until 
they  were  about  eighteen  to  twenty,  and  when  a 
prince  reached  this  age  he  was  declared  to  have 
ccme  to  his  majority,  that  is  to  say,  the  formalities 
took  place  sooner  or  later,  according  to  his  good 
or  bad  conduct.  He  was  then  considered  an  adult, 
a  distinction  as  eagerly  coveted  in  that  country 
as  anywhere  else;  and  he  was  at  the  same  time 
made  the  recipient  of  a  house,  servants,  horses,  and 
so  on,  beside  a  liberal  monthly  allowance. 

So  my  brother  Majid  attained  his  majority, 
which  he  had  merited  rather  by  his  disposition 
than  his  years.  He  was  modesty  itself,  and  won 
all  hearts  through  his  charming,  lovable  ways. 
Not  a  week  passed  but  he  rode  out  to  Bet  il  Mtoni 
(for,  like  his  deceased  mother,  he  lived  at  Bet  il 
Sahel),  and  although  my  senior  by  a  dozen  years 
played  games  with  me  as  if  we  had  both  been 
of  the  same  age. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  17 

One  day,  then,  he  arrived  with  the  glad  news  that 
his  majority  had  been  announced  by  his  father, 
who  had  granted  him  an  independent  position 
and  a  house  of  his  own.  And  he  besought  my 
mother  most  urgently  to  come  and  live,  with  me, 
in  his  new  quarters,  Chaduji  sending  the  same 
message.  To  his  impetuous  pleading  my  mother 
objected  that  without  his  father's  consent  she 
could  not  accept,  and  said  she  must  therefore 
first  consult  him;  as  for  her,  she  was  willing 
enough  to  share  Majid's  and  Chaduji's  dwelling 
if  they  wished  it.  But  Majid  offered  to  save  my 
mother  this  trouble  by  himself  asking  the  Sultan's 
sanction,  and  the  next  day,  in  fact — my  father 
happening  to  be  at  Bet  il  Sahel — he  brought  back 
the  coveted  permission.  Thus  our  transmigra- 
tion was  decided  upon.  After  a  long  talk  between 
my  mother  and  Majid,  it  was  concluded  that  we 
should  not  move  for  a  few  days,  when  he  and 
Chaduji  would  have  had  time  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  accommodating  us. 


CHAPTER  II 
BET  IL  WATORO 

MAHOMETAN   BELIEF   IN  FOREORDINATION — PART- 
ING GIFTS A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  BY  STATE  CUTTER 

— BET  IL  WATORO — ARABIAN  HOUSE  FURNI- 
TURE AND  DECORATION HOMESICKNESS — 

MAJID'S  FIGHTING-COCKS — AMAZONIAN  ACCOM- 
PLISHMENTS— ORAL  MESSAGES  AND  WRITTEN 
CHADUJI  THE  HAUGHTY 

THE  change,  after  all,  was  not  an  easy  one  for  my 
mother.  She  felt  deeply  attached  to  Bet  il  Mtoni, 
since  she  had  spent  most  of  her  life  there ;  besides, 
she  disliked  novelty.  Yet  the  idea  of  possibly 
being  of  some  help  to  her  friend's  children  out- 
weighed her  personal  inclinations,  as  she  after- 
ward told  me.  Scarcely  had  her  decision  to  move 
become  known,  when  on  all  hands  the  complaint 
was  addressed  to  her:  "Jilfidan  (this  was  my 
dear  mother's  name),  is  your  heart  closed  to  us, 
that  you  are  deserting  us  forever?"  "Ah,  my 
friends,"  was  her  reply,  "  it  is  not  by  my  will  that 
I  leave  you;  but  my  departure  is  ordained."  No 
doubt  some  readers  will  mentally  cast  a  glance  of 
pity  at  me,  or  shrug  their  shoulders,  because  I 
say  "ordained."  Perhaps  those  individuals  have 
hitherto  kept  their  ears  and  eyes  shut  against  the 

18 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  19 

will  of  God,  rejecting  His  divine  manifestations 
while  allowing  mere  chance  full  sway.  It  must, 
of  course,  be  noted  that  the  author  of  this  book 
was  originally  a  Mahometan,  and  that  she  was 
brought  up  as  such.  Furthermore,  I  am  telling 
about  Arabian  life,  about  an  Arabian  household, 
where — in  a  real  Arabian  family — two  things 
were  totally  unknown,  that  word  "chance"  and 
also  materialism.  The  Mahometan  acknowledges 
God  not  only  as  his  creator  and  preserver;  but 
is  conscious  of  the  Lord's  omnipresence,  and 
believes  that  not  his  own  will,  but  the  Lord's 
must  govern  in  all  matters,  great  or  small. 

Several  days  sped  by  pending  our  preparations, 
and  we  then  waited  for  the  return  of  Majid,  who 
was  to  supervise  our  journey  in  person.  Three 
playmates  I  particularly  regretted  leaving,  two 
of  my  sisters  and  one  of  my  brothers,  almost 
exactly  my  age.  On  the  other  hand,  I  was  over- 
joyed at  the  prospect  of  bidding  adieu  to  our  new, 
unmercifully  severe  schoolmistress.  Owing  to  the 
forthcoming  separation,  our  quarters  resembled 
a  huge  beehive.  Everybody,  according  to  their 
circumstances  and  degree  of  affection,  brought  us 
farewell  presents — a  very  popular  custom  there. 
However  trifling  the  present  he  is  able  to  give, 
nothing  will  induce  an  Arab  to  withhold  it  from 
the  departing  friend.  I  remember  a  case  in  point. 
One  day — I  was  quite  a  small  girl  then — after 
visiting  a  plantation,  we  were  about  to  start  the 


20  MEMOIRS  OF 

homeward  journey  to  Bet  il  Mtoni  in  our  boats. 
Suddenly,  I  felt  a  slight  jerk  at  my  sleeve,  and  upon 
turning  round  beheld  a  little  old  Negro  woman. 
She  handed  me  an  article  wrapped  in  banana 
leaves,  saying:  "This  is  for  you,  mistress,  in 
honour  of  your  departure;  it  is  the  first  ripe  thing 
from  my  plot."  Speedily  opening  the  leaves,  I 
found  a  freshly  picked  head  of  maize.  I  did  not 
know  the  old  Negro  woman,  but  subsequently 
learned  that  she  was  a  long-standing  favourite 
of  my  mother's. 

Well,  at  last  Majid  arrived,  with  the  announce- 
ment that  the  captain  of  the  Ramahni  had  been 
ordered  to  send  a  cutter  for  us  the  next  evening 
and  another  boat  for  the  luggage  and  the  escort. 
My  father  happened  to  be  at  Bet  il  Mtoni  the  day 
we  were  to  leave,  and  we  repaired  to  the  benjile 
expecting  to  find  him  there.  He  was  thought- 
fully pacing  up  and  down,  when,  seeing  my  mother 
approach,  he  came  forward  to  meet  her.  They 
were  soon  absorbed  in  a  lively  conversation  touch- 
ing the  journey,  the  Sultan  having  meanwhile 
commanded  a  eunuch  to  bring  me  some  sweet- 
meats and  sherbet,  probably  to  stop  my  everlast- 
ing questions.  As  may  easily  be  imagined,  I  was 
tremendously  excited  and  curious  regarding  our 
future  home,  and  in  fact  about  everything  that 
concerned  the  town-life.  Up  till  then,  I  had  been 
in  town  only  once,  and  but  for  a  very  short  time, 
hence  I  had  the  acquaintance  of  many  brothers, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  21 

sisters,  and  stepmothers  in  store  for  me.  We 
eventually  betook  ourselves  to  the  apartments  of 
the  high  and  mighty  Azze  bint  Sef ,  who  graciously 
vouchsafed  to  dispose  of  us  standing  up,  a  conces- 
sion on  her  part,  so  to  speak,  because  she  usually 
received  and  dismissed  people  in  a  sitting  position. 
My  mother  and  I  were  privileged  to  touch  her 
dainty  hand  with  our  lips — and  to  turn  our  backs 
upon  the  lady  forever.  Then  we  travelled  up- 
stairs and  down,  to  say  good-bye  to  our  friends, 
but  barely  half  were  in,  so  my  mother  determined 
to  go  back  at  the  next  hour  for  prayer,  when  she 
would  be  sure  to  see  them  all. 

At  seven  in  the  evening  our  large  cutter — not 
used  except  on  special  occasions — appeared  before 
the  benjile.  She  was  manned  by  a  dozen  sailors, 
I  remember,  and  at  the  stern,  as  well  as  at  the 
bow  hung  a  plain  crimson  flag,  our  ensign,  which 
bears  no  pattern  nor  any  kind  of  symbol.  The 
rear  part  of  the  vessel  was  covered  with  an  expan- 
sive awning,  and  under  this  were  silken  cushions 
for  perhaps  ten  persons.  Old  Johar,  a  trusted 
eunuch  of  my  father,  came  to  inform  us  that 
everything  was  in  readiness;  he  and  another 
eunuch  had  been  ordered  to  accompany  us  by  the 
Sultan,  who  watched  us  from  the  benjile.  Our 
friends  saw  us  to  the  door  with  weeping  eyes,  and 
their  sorrowful  "  Wedah !  Wedah ! "  (Good-bye ! 
Good-bye!)  rings  in  my  ears  to  this  very  day. 

Our  beach  was  rather  shallow,  and  we  had  no 


22  MEMOIRS  OF 

landing  stage  of  any  sort.  There  were  three  meth- 
ods, however,  of  reaching  your  boat.  You  sat 
on  a  chair,  which  was  transported  by  lusty  sailor- 
men;  or  you  mounted  on  one  of  their  backs;  or 
you  simply  walked  across  by  a  plank  from  the 
dry  sand  to  the  edge  of  the  craft,  and  this  was  the 
method  chosen  by  my  mother,  only  she  was  sup- 
ported on  either  side  by  a  wading  eunuch.  An- 
other eunuch  carried  me  over,  and  put  me  down 
in  the  stern  with  my  mother  and  old  Johar. 
The  cutter  was  lit  with  coloured  lamps,  and  as 
soon  as  we  started  the  rowers  intoned  a  slow 
rhythmic  chant,  according  to  Arabian  custom. 
We  skirted  the  coast-line,  as  usual,  while  I  went 
fast  asleep.  I  was  awakened  by  the  sound  of 
many  voices  calling  out  my  name.  Decidedly 
startled,  though  half  drowsy,  I  observed  that  we 
were  arriving  at  our  destination.  The  boat 
stopped  almost  under  the  windows  of  Bet  il  Sahel ; 
they  were  brilliantly  illuminated,  and  full  of  specta- 
tors, mostly  my  strange  brothers  and  sisters  and 
stepmothers.  Some  of  the  children  were  younger 
than  myself,  and  no  less  anxious  to  make  my 
acquaintance  than  I  theirs;  it  was  they  who 
clamoured  for  me  so  loudly  when  the  expected 
cutter  appeared.  The  landing  was  accomplished 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  embarkation.  My 
young  brothers  greeted  me  with  more  than  enthus- 
iasm, insisting,  too,  that  we  must  accompany 
them  at  once;  but  my  mother  of  course  declined, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  23 

since  otherwise  Chaduji,  who  was  then  already 
waiting  at  the  window  of  her  own  house,  would 
have  been  disappointed  by  the  delay.  To  be  sure 
I  was  grieved  enough  at  not  being  allowed  to  go 
with  my  brothers  and  sisters  immediately,  having 
long  looked  forward  to  that  happy  moment,  yet 
I  knew  my  mother  well  enough  to  be  aware  that 
she  would  not  change  her  mind  once  it  was  made 
up ;  despite  her  incomparably  unselfish  love  toward 
me,  she  was  always  quite  firm  and  resolute. 
Meanwhile  she  comforted  me  by  promising  to 
take  me  to  Bet  il  Sahel  for  a  whole  day  upon  my 
father's  return  thither. 

So  we  passed  on  to  Bet  il  Watoro,  Majid's 
house,  which  lay  quite  close  to  Bet  il  Sahel,  and 
likewise  commanded  a  fine  view  of  the  sea.  We 
found  my  sister  Chaduji  awaiting  us  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairs.  She  welcomed  us  right  heartily 
to  Bet  il  Watoro,  and  led  us  to  her  apartments, 
where  a  servant  soon  brought  us  all  kinds  of  re- 
freshments. Majid  and  his  friends  remained  in 
the  anteroom,  not  being  allowed  to  come  up  until 
Chaduji  sent  permission  by  my  mother's  request. 
And  how  delighted  that  splendid,  noble  Majid  was 
at  being  able  to  welcome  us  to  his  home! 

Our  own  room  was  of  fair  size,  and  from  it  was 
visible  a  neighbouring  mosque.  It  was  furnished 
like  most  Arabian  rooms,  and  we  found  nothing 
lacking.  One  room  was  sufficient  for  us;  wearing 
the  same  sort  of  clothes  by  night  as  by  day,  people 


24  MEMOIRS  OF 

of  rank,  with  their  fastidious  cleanliness,  can  easily 
dispense  with  special  rooms  set  apart  for  sleeping. 
Persons  of  wealth  and  distinction  arrange  their 
dwellings  about  as  follows: 

Persian  carpets  or  daintily  woven,  soft  mats 
cover  the  floor.  The  thick  whitewashed  walls 
are  divided  into  compartments  running  perpen- 
dicularly from  floor  to  ceiling,  and  these  niches 
contain  tiers  of  wooden  shelves  painted  green, 
forming  a  succession  of  brackets.  On  the  brackets 
stand  arrayed  the  most  exquisite  and  costly 
articles  of  glass  and  china,  in  symmetrical  order. 
An  Arab  does  not  care  what  he  spends  in  adorning 
his  niches;  let  a  handsomely  painted  plate  or  a 
tasteful  vase  or  a  delicately  cut  glass  cost  what  it 
may,  if  it  looks  well  he  buys  it.  An  effort  is  made 
to  hide  the  bare  spaces  of  wall  between  the  com- 
partments. Tall  mirrors  are  put  there,  reaching 
from  the  low  divan  to  the  ceiling;  they  are 
usually  ordered  from  Europe,  with  the  dimensions 
exactly  specified.  Mahometans  disapprove  of  pic- 
tures as  trying  to  imitate  the  Divine  creation,  but 
latterly  this  objection  has  been  losing  force  to  some 
extent.  Clocks,  on  the  other  hand,  are  in  great 
vogue,  and  in  a  single  house  one  often  sees  a 
whole  collection;  some  are  placed  at  the  top  of 
the  mirrors  and  some  in  pairs  on  either  side. 

In  the  gentlemen's  rooms  the  walls  are  deco- 
rated with  trophies  of  valuable  weapons  from 
Arabia,  Persia,  and  Turkey,  with  which  every 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  25 

Arab  embellishes  his  abode  in  the  measure  of  his 
rank  and  riches.  A  large  double  bed  of  rosewood, 
adorned  with  marvellous  carvings  of  East  Indian 
workmanship,  stands  in  the  corner,  shrouded 
entirely  with  white  tulle  or  muslin.  Arabian  beds 
have  very  long  legs;  to  get  in  the  more  com- 
fortably you  mount  on  a  chair  first,  or  borrow  the 
hand  of  a  chambermaid  for  a  step.  The  space 
under  the  bed  is  often  utilised  for  sleeping  pur- 
poses too,  for  instance  by  nurses  of  children  or 
invalids.  Tables  are  quite  rare,  and  only  found 
in  the  possession  of  the  highest  personages,  though 
chairs  are  common,  both  in  kind  and  quantity. 
Wardrobes,  cupboards,  and  the  like  are  unfamil- 
iar furniture,  but  you  find  a  sort  of  chest  with  two 
or  three  drawers  and  a  secret  place  besides  for 
money  and  jewellery.  These  coffers — several  of 
them  to  each  room — are  large  and  massive,  and 
studded  with  hundreds  of  small  brass-headed  nails 
by  way  of  ornaments.  Windows  and  doors  we 
would  leave  open  all  day,  never  shutting  the  win- 
dows at  all  except  for  a  little  while  when  it  rained. 
Hence,  the  phrase  " I  feel  a  draught"  is  unknown 
in  that  country. 

At  first  my  new  quarters  did  not  suit  me  in  the 
least;  I  missed  my  young  brothers  and  sisters 
too  much,  and  Bet  il  Watoro  seemed  so  cramped 
and  confining  when  I  thought  of  the  immense 
Bet  il  Mtoni.  "Am  I  to  live  here  forever?"  I 
continually  kept  asking  myself  the  first  few  days; 


26  MEMOIRS  OF 

"and  am  I  to  sail  my  boats  in  a  washtub?"  for 
there  was  no  river  Mtoni  here,  so  that  the  water 
had  to  be  fetched  from  a  well  outside  the  house. 
When  my  good,  kind  mother,  who  would  have 
liked  to  give  away  everything  she  owned,  advised 
me  to  present  my  nice  sail-boats,  that  I  was  so 
fond  of,  to  my  brothers  and  sisters  at  Bet  il  Mtoni, 
I  would  not  hear  of  it.  In  short,  I  experienced 
feelings  I  had  never  undergone  before,  of  great 
unhappiness,  and  I  was  deeply  afflicted.  But  my 
mother  was  in  her  element.  With  Chaduji,  she 
was  occupied  all  day  in  planning  and  settling  house- 
hold affairs,  so  that  I  saw  very  little  of  her. 
Majid  gave  me  the  most  attention;  the  day  after 
my  arrival  he  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  showed 
me  his  whole  domicile,  from  top  to  bottom.  Only 
I  could  see  nothing  to  admire;  in  fact  I  begged 
my  mother  fervently  to  go  back  with  me  as  soon 
as  possible  to  Bet  il  Mtoni  and  my  accustomed 
playmates.  This  was  of  course  out  of  the  question, 
especially  as  she  was  genuinely  useful  in  her  new 
sphere. 

I  was  glad  to  find  a  lover  of  animals  in  Majid, 
who  kept  a  great  variety  of  them.  His  white 
rabbits  caused  my  mother  and  Chaduji  fearful 
annoyance,  since  they  ruined  the  new  house. 
He  also  had  a  number  of  fighting  cocks,  from 
every  corner  of  the  earth;  such  a  rich  collection 
I  have  never  even  seen  in  a  zoological  garden. 
So  I  got  into  the  habit  of  accompanying  Majid 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  27 

whenever  he  visited  his  pets,  and  he  most  good- 
naturedly  allowed  me  to  share  in  his  amusements. 
No  very  long  period  elapsed  before  I  became  the 
possessor — through  his  kindness — of  a  veritable 
army  of  fighting  cocks  which  rendered  my  solitary 
existence  at  Bet  il  Watoro  a  great  deal  easier  to 
bear.  Nearly  every  day  we  marshalled  our  cham- 
pions, conducted  before  us  and  taken  away  again 
by  slaves.  A  cock-fight  is  by  no  means  a  dull 
business;  the  spectator's  attention  is  fully  en- 
grossed, and  the  whole  thing  offers  an  entertaining, 
sometimes  a  comical,  performance. 

Later  on  Majid  taught  me  how  to  fence  with 
sword,  dagger,  and  lance,  and  when  we  went  into 
the  country  together  we  would  practise  pistol 
and  rifle  shooting.  Thus  I  developed  into  some- 
thing like  an  Amazon,  to  the  utter  dismay  of  my 
mother,  who  entirely  disapproved  of  fencing  and 
shooting.  But  I  very,  much  preferred  manipulat- 
ing these  weapons  to  sitting  still  by  the  hour  over 
needle  or  bobbin.  Indeed,  my  new  pursuits 
coupled  with  complete  freedom — another  mistress 
had  not  been  found  for  me  yet — soon  cheered 
my  spirits,  so  that  my  former  aversion  to  the 
solitary  Bet  il  Watoro  began  to  fade.  Nor  did 
I  neglect  horsemanship;  Mesrur,  a  eunuch,  was 
ordered  by  Majid  to  continue  the  instruction  he 
had  begun.  As  I  have  said,  my  mother  had  little 
time  to  devote  to  me  privately,  being  so  mon- 
opolised by  Chaduji.  The  result  was  that  I 


28  MEMOIRS  OF 

attached  myself  by  degrees  to  a  trustworthy  Abys- 
sinian; her  name  was  Nuren,  and  I  learned  some 
Abyssinian  from  her,  though  I  have  forgotten  it 
all  long  ago. 

We  remained  in  constant  communication  with 
Bet  il  Mtoni,  where  our  friends  received  us  with 
the  warmest  hospitality.  Otherwise  we  kept  in 
contact  through  verbal  messages  delivered  by 
slaves.  People  do  not  care  to  correspond  in  the 
East,  even  if  they  know  how  to  write,  Everyone 
there  of  wealth  and  station  owns  several  slaves, 
good  runners  particularly  reserved  for  the  trans- 
mission of  messages.  A  runner  must  be  able  to 
cover  a  lot  of  ground  in  a  day,  but  he  is  unusually 
well-treated  and  cared  for;  on  his  discretion 
and  integrity — since  he  is  intrusted  with  the  most 
confidential  matters — the  welfare,  or  more,  of  his 
owners  may  depend.  Occasionally  a  messenger 
of  this  kind  for  the  sake  of  revenge  destroys  life- 
long relations  of  friendship.  However,  that  in- 
duces few  individuals  to  learn  writing,  and  thus 
make  themselves  independent  of  their  slaves  for 
life;  nowhere  is  the  term  "  easy-going "  fraught 
with  deeper  significance  than  in  our  country. 

My  sister  Chaduji  was  extremely  fond  of  com- 
pany; hence  Bet  il  Watoro  often  resembled  noth- 
ing so  much  as  a  dove-cote.  Hardly  a  day  in 
the  week  but  the  house  would  be  full  of  visitors 
from  six  in  the  morning  till  twelve  at  night.  The 
guests  arriving  at  six  of  the  forenoon  and  intend- 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  29 

ing  to  stay  all  day  were  met  by  the  servants,  and 
shown  to  a  special  apartment,  waiting  there  until 
eight  or  nine  before  they  were  received  by  the  mis- 
tress of  the  house.  The  interval  between  their 
arrival  and  formal  reception,  those  lady  visitors 
would  spend  in  making  up  the  lost  hours  of  sleep 
in  the  aforesaid  room. 

Though  a  close  affection  existed  between  my- 
self and  Majid,  I  was  unable  to  conceive  the  same 
sort  of  liking  for  Chaduji.  Imperious  and  fault- 
finding, her  character  differed  in  great  degree  from 
her  brother's;  and  in  this  view  of  their  unlike- 
ness  I  was  not  alone,  as  everyone  acquainted  with 
both  was  well  aware  which  was  the  more  affable 
of  the  two.  She  was  wont  to  be  very  cool,  and 
even  offensive,  toward  strangers,  thereby  gaining 
enemies  rather  than  friends.  Anything  new  or 
foreign  inspired  her  with  strong  repulsion ;  despite 
her  renowned  hospitality,  she  was  much  put  out  if 
a  European  lady  sent  in  her  name,  although  such 
a  call  would  last  only  a  half  or  three-quarters  of 
an  hour  at  the  very  most.  I  confess  she  was  a 
good,  intelligent  housekeeper,  scarcely  knowing  a 
moment's  idleness,  and  if  any  spare  time  did  fall 
to  her  she  would  go  sewing  and  stitching  away  as 
busily  at  clothes  for  her  slaves'  younger  children 
as  at  other  times  she  would  be  working  at  my 
brother  Majid's  shirts.  I  remember  that  three 
of  these  children  were  delightful  little  boys,  whose 
father  performed  the  functions  of  an  architect 


30  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

in  our  service.  They  were  my  juniors  by  a  few 
years,  but  as  I  lacked  companions  of  my  own  age 
they  became  my  regular  playmates,  until  I  finally 
grew  acquainted  with  my  other  brothers  and  sis- 
ters at  Bet  il  Sahel. 


CHAPTER  III 
BET  IL  SAHEL 

A  CROSS-GRAINED  DOORKEEPER — FASCINATIONS  OF 

CHOLE — THE   VERANDA   AT   BET   IL   SAHEL 

LIFE  IN  THE  COURTYARD — AN  OUTDOOR  BUTCH- 
ERY, KITCHEN,  AND  LARDER LOVE  OF  ARABS 

FOR  THEIR  HORSES SOCIAL  DISTINCTIONS  AT 

TABLE WHY  BET  IL  SAHEL  WAS  PREFERABLE 

TO   BET  IL  MTONI RACE  HATRED  BETWEEN 

CIRCASSIANS    AND    ABYSSINIANS — CURSHIT — 
ENFORCED  TUITION 

THE  day  I  had  so  ardently  longed  for  at  last 
arrived — that  day,  the  whole  of  which  I  was  to 
spend  at  Bet  il  Sahel,  whither  my  mother  and 
Chaduji  were  to  take  me.  It  was  on  a  Friday — 
the  Mahometan  Sunday — that  we  left  our  house 
quite  early  in  the  morning,  probably  at  five  or  six 
o'clock.  We  had  not  far  to  go,  however,  as  our 
destination  was  scarcely  more  than  a  hundred 
steps  away. 

The  faithful,  but  unbearably  cantankerous  old 
doorkeeper  gave  us  anything  but  an  amiable 
welcome.  He  complained  that  he  had  been  on  his 
shaky  old  pins  for  the  last  hour  answering  female 
visitors.  A  Nubian  slave  belonging  to  my  father, 
his  beard  had  grown  white  in  honourable  ser- 
ai 


32  MEMOIRS  OF 

vice;  I  say  "beard"  advisedly,  because  male  Arabs 
are  in  the  habit  of  shaving  their  heads.  My 
father  was  much  attached  to  him,  particularly 
since  this  servant  had  once  saved  him  from  com- 
mitting a  hasty  act  which  he  might  have  regretted 
all  his  life,  by  knocking  a  sword  out  of  his  hand 
just  as  he  was  about  to  strike  down  a  man  who 
had  roused  his  anger.  But  we  small  children  had 
no  respect  for  the  old  fellow's  virtues,  and  in  the 
exuberance  of  a  frolicsome  mood  would  often  play 
naughty  tricks  on  this  ancient  and  worthy  servitor. 
We  were  particularly  fond  of  abstracting  his  keys, 
and  I  suppose  there  was  hardly  a  room  in  the 
whole  of  Bet  il  Sahel  where  they  had  not  lain 
hidden  from  him  at  one  time  or  another.  One 
of  my  young  brothers  seemed  to  have  a  peculiar 
aptitude  for  secreting  those  keys  in  places  un- 
suspected even  by  us  conspirators. 

Ascending  from  the  ground  floor  to  the  first 
story,  we  found  the  ladies  of  the  house  all  astir 
and  active,  only  that  the  exceptionally  pious  were 
still  engaged  in  their  morning  devotions,  and  hence 
invisible  to  the  outer  world,  No  one  would 
think  of  disturbing  a  Mahometan  at  prayer  under 
any  circumstances,  no,  not  even  if  the  house 
should  take  fire.  Our  father  was  one  of  the 
devout  worshippers  on  this  occasion,  and  so  we 
were  obliged  to  wait  until  his  prayers  were  done. 
Our  visit  had  purposely  been  arranged  to  coincide 
with  his  presence  at  Bet  il  Sahel,  to  which,  in 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  33 

fact,  the  unusual  concourse  was  due.  It  must 
not  be  imagined  that  the  ladies  assembled  were 
all  friends  or  acquaintances  of  ours.  On  the  con- 
trary, some  were  entire  strangers  to  us,  and  most 
of  these  came  from  Oman,  our  virtual  mother- 
country,  to  ask  my  father  for  assistance  of  a 
material  kind,  which,  indeed,  was  rarely  denied. 
Our  mother-country  is  as  poor  as  our  relatives 
there,  and  our  own  prosperity  really  dated  from 
my  father's  conquest  of  the  rich  island  of  Zanzibar. 

If  the  law  prohibits,  in  general,  a  woman  from 
holding  personal  intercourse  of  any  sort  with  a 
strange  man,  it  makes  two  exceptions,  in  favour 
of  the  sovereign  and  of  the  judge.  Now,  as  thou- 
sands and  thousands  are  totally  ignorant  of 
penmanship,  and  therefore  cannot  make  their 
petitions  in  writing,  nothing  remains  for  such 
needy  ones  but  to  come  themselves,  even  if  they 
have  to  undertake  the  little  journey  from  Asia  to 
Africa.  At  all  events,  my  father  used  to  endow 
his  petitioners  according  to  their  rank  and  position, 
omitting  to  harass  the  poor  wretches  with  a  lot 
of  questions,  as  the  custom  is  in  Europe.  It 
was  assumed  that  nobody  would  go  begging  other 
people's  help  for  pure  amusement's  sake,  and  I 
daresay  this  may  frequently  apply  to  Germany 
as  well. 

My  brothers  and  sisters — whether  previously 
acquainted  with  me  or  not — were  all  most  cordial 
in  their  manner  of  welcome,  none  more  so  than 


34  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  perfect  Chole,  dear  to  my  memory  forever. 
Hitherto  the  affections  of  my  young  heart  had 
been  entirely  devoted  to  my  sweet  mother,  but 
now  I  began  to  worship  this  angel  of  light  as  well. 
Chole  soon  became  my  ideal;  she  was  greatly 
admired  by  others  and  was  Seyyid  Said's  favourite 
daughter.  Anyone  judging  her  impartially  and 
unenviously  felt  obliged  to  acknowledge  her  extra- 
ordinary beauty;  and  where  is  the  human  being 
completely  insensible  to  the  charm  of  beauty? 
Bet  il  Sahel  contained  no  such  misanthropist,  at 
any  rate.  This  sister  of  mine  was  without  peer 
in  our  family,  her  good  looks  being  positively 
proverbial.  Though  fine  eyes  are  not  at  all  un- 
common in  the  East — as  everyone  must  be  aware 
— she  was  invariably  called  Star  of  the  Morning. 
An  Arab  chief  from  Oman  once  inflicted  an  injury 
upon  himself  through  falling  too  deeply  under  the 
spell  of  her  fascination.  In  the  course  of  a  sham 
fight,  enacted  before  our  house,  the  chief  caught 
sight  of  her  at  a  window,  and  became  so  enrap- 
tured with  Chole 's  appearance  that  he  forgot 
everybody  and  everything  about  him,  and  in  this 
fit  of  amorous  abstraction  planted  the  point  of 
his  spear  into  his  foot,  not  noticing  the  blood  and 
feeling  no  pain,  until  awakened  from  his  blissful 
dream  by  one  of  my  brothers. 

Bet  il  Sahel  is  relatively  much  smaller  than 
Bet  il  Mtoni,  and  is  likewise  situated  hard  by  the 
sea;  there  is  something  smiling  and  pleasant 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  35 

about  the  place  which  is  reflected  in  the  residents. 
All  the  living-rooms  of  Bet  il  Sahel  command  a 
glorious  view  of  the  water  and  the  shipping. 
Well  do  I  remember  the  enchanting  scene.  The 
doors  of  the  living-rooms — which  are  all  on  the 
upper  story — open  on  a  long,  broad  veranda,  the 
most  magnificent  I  have  ever  seen.  The  veranda 
has  a  roof  supported  by  pillars  reaching  to  the 
ground,  and  has  a  balustrade  along  its  entire 
length.  Numerous  chairs  were  set  out,  and  coloured 
lamps  hung  up,  which  by  night  lent  the  house  an 
aspect  of  fairyland.  You  looked  down  over  the 
balustrade  into  the  courtyard — the  liveliest,  noisi- 
est spot  imaginable — communication  between 
which  and  the  upper  story  being  maintained  by 
means  of  two  large  stairways.  It  was  up  and 
down,  down  and  up,  all  day  and  all  night,  and 
often  there  was  such  a  crowd  at  the  foot  or  head  of 
the  stairs  that  it  was  difficult  to  reach  them. 

In  a  corner  of  the  yard  cattle  were  slaughtered, 
skinned,  and  cleaned  in  quantities,  all  for  the  sole 
use  of  the  house,  which,  like  every  house  in  Zanzi- 
bar, must  provide  its  own  meat.  In  another 
corner  sat  Negroes  having  their  heads  shaved, 
while  near  them  a  lot  of  lazy  water-carriers  lay  full 
length  on  the  ground,  paying  not  the  slightest 
attention  to  the  urgent  calls  for  water,  until 
unpleasantly  reminded  of  their  duty  by  a  muscular 
eunuch.  I  have  known  these  leisurely  gentlemen 
to  start  up,  and  to  dash  away  like  lightning  with 


36  MEMOIRS  OF 

their  jugs  at  the  mere  frown  of  their  formidable 
taskmasters.  Near  by  nurses  sunned  themselves 
and  their  little  charges,  whom  they  were  regaling 
with  fairy  tales  and  stories.  The  kitchen,  too, 
was  in  the  open,  and  the  smoke  ascended  freely  to 
heaven  as  it  might  fancy,  for  chimneys  do  not 
exist.  Strife  and  confusion  were  the  rule  among  the 
host  of  culinary  sprites,  the  head  cooks  dealing 
out  boxes  on  the  ears  in  liberal  style  to  the  quarrel- 
some or  dilatory  scullions  of  either  sex.  In  the 
Bet  il  Sahel  kitchen  the  animals  were  cooked  whole, 
and  I  have  seen  a  fish  arrive  carried  by  two  sturdy 
blacks;  small  fish  were  not  taken  in  excepting 
by  the  basketload,  nor  fowl  but  by  the  dozen. 
Flour,  rice,  and  sugar  were  reckoned  wholesale 
by  bags,  while  the  butter,  imported  from  the 
north,  especially  from  the  island  of  Socotra,  came 
in  jars  of  a  hundredweight  each.  Only  spices  were 
measured  by  the  pound.  Still  more  astonishing 
was  the  quantity  of  fruit  consumed.  Every  day 
thirty  or  forty,  or  even  fifty,  men  brought  loads 
of  fruit  on  their  backs,  apart  from  the  con- 
signments delivered  by  the  little  rowboats  which 
supplied  the  plantations  along  the  shore.  I  am 
probably  making  no  extravagant  estimate  if  I 
put  Bet  il  Sahel's  daily  consumption  of  fruit  as 
high  as  the  capacity  of  a  railway  van;  but  some 
days,  for  instance,  during  the  mango  harvest, 
the  demand  would  be  still  larger.  The  slaves 
intrusted  with  all  this  fruit  were  extremely  care- 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  37 

less;  they  would  plump  the  heavy  baskets  from 
their  heads  violently  to  the  ground,  so  that  half 
the  contents  would  be  bruised  or  squashed. 

The  place  was  protected  against  the  sea  by  a 
long  wall  about  twelve  feet  thick,  and  when  the 
tide  was  low  some  of  the  horses  were  tethered  in 
front  of  this  wall  so  that  they  might  roll  in  the 
sand  and  enjoy  themselves.  My  father  was 
immensely  attached  to  his  thoroughbred  steeds 
from  Oman;  he  saw  them  regularly,  and  if  one 
fell  sick  he  would  go  to  the  stable,  and  satisfy 
himself  that  it  was  properly  attended  to.  The 
fondness  of  Arabs  for  their  favourite  horses  I  can 
prove  by  my  brother  Majid's  example.  He 
owned  a  very  handsome  brown  mare,  and  was 
exceedingly  anxious  that  she  should  have  a  colt. 
So,  when  the  time  came  for  the  fulfilment  of  this 
hope,  he  gave  orders  that  he  should  be  notified  of 
the  birth  at  whatever  hour  it  might  occur.  Thus, 
we  were  actually  roused  up  out  of  bed  one  night, 
at  about  two  o'clock,  to  be  informed  of  the  happy 
event.  The  groom  who  bore  the  welcome  news 
received  a  fine  present  from  his  overjoyed  master. 
But  this  is  no  exceptional  case;  in  Arabia  Proper 
the  devotion  to  horses  is  said  to  be  still  more 
intense. 

Between  half  past  nine  and  ten  my  elder 
brothers  left  their  apartments  to  take  breakfast 
with  my  father,  in  which  repast  not  a  single 
secondary  wife,  however  great  a  favourite  with  the 


38  MEMOIRS  OF 

Sultan,  was  allowed  to  share.  Besides  his  children 
and  grandchildren — those  who  had  passed  infancy, 
that  is  to  say — the  only  persons  admitted  to  his 
table  were  the  principal  wife  Azze  bint  Sef  and 
his  sister  Assha.  Social  distinctions  in  the 
East  are  never  observed  more  rigorously  than 
at  meals;  one  is  extremely  cordial  and  affable 
toward  one's  guests,  just  as  people  of  high  station 
are  here  in  Europe,  or  perhaps  even  more  so, 
though  at  meals  one  excludes  them  from  one's 
company.  The  custom  is  so  ancient  that  no  one 
takes  offence.  In  Zanzibar  the  secondary  wives 
had  a  system  of  sub-distinctions.  The  hand- 
some and  expensive  Circassians,  fully  conscious  of 
their  superior  merits  and  value,  refused  to  sit  at 
table  with  the  brown  Abyssinian  women.  Thus 
each  race,  in  accordance  with  a  tacit  understand- 
ing, kept  to  itself  when  eating. 

At  Bet  il  Sahel  I  got  the  impression  that  the 
residents  of  the  place  were  a  much  gayer  set  than 
at  Bet  il  Mtoni.  The  reason  was  that  at  Bet  il 
Mtoni,  Azze  bint  Sef  ruled  supreme  over  husband, 
stepchildren,  their  mothers,  in  short  over  every- 
body, whereas  at  Bet  il  Sahel,  where  Azze  rarely 
appeared,  everyone,  my  father  not  excepted,  felt 
free  and  untrammelled.  And  I  think  my  father 
must  actually  have  appreciated  this  liberty  of 
action  very  keenly,  as  he  had  for  years  sent  no  one 
to  Bet  il  Mtoni  for  permanent  residence  unless  by 
such  person's  request,  although  that  place  alway 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  39 

had  rooms  empty,  and  the  other  was  crowded. 
The  overpopulation  I  speak  of  at  last  gave  rise 
to  so  much  inconvenience  that  my  father  hit  upon 
the  idea  of  putting  wooden  pavilions  on  the  broad 
veranda  to  serve  as  living  rooms;  eventually  he 
had  another  house  built — which  went  by  the  name 
of  Bet  il  Ras  (Cape  House) — on  the  sea-coast  a 
few  miles  north  of  Bet  il  Mtoni,  and  which  was 
designed  particularly  for  the  younger  Bet  il 
Sahel  generation. 

A  painter  would  have  found  rich  material  for 
his  brush  on  the  veranda  at  Bet  il  Sahel.  To 
begin  with,  there  were  quite  eight  or  nine  different 
facial  hues  to  be  taken  account  of,  and  the  many 
colours  and  shades  of  the  garments  worn  would 
have  offered  the  most  vivid  contrasts.  No  less 
lively  was  the  bustle  and  stir.  Children  of  all 
ages  tore  about,  squabbled,  and  fought;  shout- 
ing and  clapping  of  hands — taking  the  place  of 
the  Western  bell-ringing — for  servants,  resounded 
incessantly;  the  enormous,  thick,  wooden  sandals 
of  the  women,  sometimes  inlaid  with  silver  or 
gold,  made  a  distressing  clatter.  We  children 
enjoyed  the  confusion  of  tongues  immensely. 
Arabic  was  supposed  to  be  the  only  language 
spoken,  and  in  the  Sultan's  presence  the  rule  was 
invariably  obeyed;  but  no  sooner  was  his  back 
turned  than  a  sort  of  Babel  would  break  loose, 
Persian,  Turkish,  Circassian,  Suahili,  Nubian, 
Abyssinian,  to  say  nothing  of  dialects.  However, 


40  MEMOIRS  OF 

no  one  took  exception  to  mere  tumult  but  now 
and  then  an  invalid,  and  our  dear  father  was 
quite  used  to  it,  and  never  objected  in  the  least. 

Here,  then,  on  the  veranda,  my  sisters  were 
assembled  the  day  of  my  visit.  They  were  festally 
clad  in  celebration  of  our  Sunday  and  of  Seyyid 
Said's  coming;  the  mothers  walked  up  and  down 
or  stood  in  groups,  talking  and  laughing  and 
joking  so  vivaciously  that  one  not  knowing  the 
country  would  never  have  taken  them  for  the 
wives  of  the  same  man.  From  the  stairs  sounded 
the  clinking  of  arms  worn  by  my  brothers,  who 
had  also  come  to  see  their  father,  in  fact,  to  spend 
the  whole  day  with  him. 

More  luxury  and  extravagance  prevailed  than 
at  Bet  il  Mtoni,  and  I  found  better  looking  women 
than  there,  where  my  mother  was  the  only  Cir- 
cassian but  one.  Here,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
majority  of  the  Sultan's  wives  were  Circassians, 
who  undoubtedly  are  much  finer  in  appearance 
than  the  Abyssinians,  though  among  them,  too, 
great  beauties  may  be  seen.  Of  course  these 
natural  advantages  gave  rise  to  envy  and  malice 
on  the  other  side:  a  Circassian  of  noble  bearing 
would  be  avoided,  if  not  detested — having  offended 
no  one  but  the  chocolate-coloured  Abyssinians  sim- 
ply because  she  looked  dignified.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances it  was  natural  enough  if  ridiculous 
race  hatreds  manifested  themselves  among  the 
children.  Her  virtues  notwithstanding,  the  Abys- 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  41 

sinian  is  usually  of  a  spiteful,  revengeful  disposi- 
tion, and  when  she  flies  into  a  temper  goes  beyond 
the  limits  not  only  of  moderation  but  of  decency. 
We  daughters  of  Circassian  mothers  were  called 
"cats"  by  our  sisters  who  had  Abyssinian  blood 
in  their  veins,  because  some  of  us  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  possess  blue  eyes.  And  then  they  spoke 
to  us  sarcastically  as  "your  Highness,"  as  further 
proof  of  their  indignation  at  our  having  come  into 
the  world  with  white  skin.  Nor  did  they  forgive 
my  father  for  selecting  as  pets  his  two  daughters 
Sharife  and  Chole  from  the  loathsome  tribe  of  cats. 
Under  the  oppressive  Azze  bint  Sef,  life  at  Bet 
il  Mtoni  had  always  been  more  or  less  cloistral; 
at  Bet  il  Watoro  I  felt  still  lonelier;  consequently 
I  relished  the  cheerfulness  and  the  movement  at 
Bet  il  Sahel  all  the  more.  Two  little  nieces  of 
mine,  daughters  of  my  brother  Khaled,  were 
brought  from  their  home  every  morning  to  Bet 
il  Sahel — and  taken  back  in  the  evening — so  that 
they  might  do  their  lessons  with  their  young 
uncles  and  aunts,  and  play  with  them  afterward. 
Curshit,  Khaled's  mother,  a  Circassian  by  birth, 
was  a  very  unusual  woman.  Of  heroic  bodily 
stature,  she  combined  extraordinary  will  power 
with  a  highly  developed  intelligence,  and  I  do  not 
remember  encountering  her  equal  among  the 
members  of  my  sex.  On  one  occasion  that  Khaled 
represented  my  father,  during  his  absence,  it 
was  said  she  governed  our  country,  with  Khaled 


42  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

as  her  puppet.  Certainly  her  counsel  was  invalu- 
able to  our  family,  and  her  decisions  were  moment- 
ous. Her  two  eyes  were  so  sharp  and  observing 
that  they  saw  as  much  as  Argus's  hundred  eyes. 
In  matters  of  importance  she  showed  the  wisdom 
of  Solomon.  But  the  small  children  found  her 
repulsive,  and  gladly  avoided  her. 

Evening  came  at  last,  and  we  began  to  think 
of  returning  to  Bet  il  Watoro.  Suddenly  my 
father  announced,  to  my  mother's  infinite  dismay, 
that  I  must  resume  my  lessons.  Upon  her  plea 
that  it  had  been  impossible  to  find  a  suitable 
governess,  he  decreed  that  I  was  to  be  sent  to  Bet 
il  Sahel  each  morning,  and  taken  back  in  the  even- 
ing, like  my  two  nieces;  thus  I  should  be  instructed 
together  with  my  brothers  and  sisters  there.  To 
me  this  news  was  most  unpleasant:  I  was  far 
too  wild  to  get  any  joy  out  of  sitting  still;  besides, 
my  last  mistress  had  altogether  spoilt  my  taste 
for  lessons.  Yet  momentarily  the  prospect  of 
being  with  my  brothers  and  sisters  all  day — except 
on  Fridays — comforted  me,  especially  as  my  charm- 
ing sister  Chole  offered  to  take  charge  of  me  and 
watch  over  me.  And  so  she  did — like  a  mother.  My 
real  mother  grieved  terribly  over  my  father's  order 
separating  us  six  days  in  a  week,  but  of  course,  she 
was  obliged  to  acquiesce.  She  however  bade  me 
show  myself  several  times  during  the  day  at  a  cer- 
tain spot,  by  which  means  she  could  catch  a  glimpse 
of  me  from  Bet  il  Watoro,  and  wave  her  greetings. 


CHAPTER  IV 
FURTHER  REMINISCENCES  OF  CHILDHOOD 

JUVENILE    TRICKS PRINCESS    SALAMAH    CLIMBS    A 

PALM  TREE MAJID'S  SEIZURE A  FAMILY  QUAR- 
REL WHICH  ENDS  IN  DIVORCE  AND  AN- 
OTHER CHANGE  OF  ABODE  FOR  THE  AUTHORESS 

EXTRAVAGANCE    OF    A    PERSIAN   SULTANA 

MORE    DIVORCE — LESSONS    IN   CALIGRAPHY 

I  LIKED  Bet  il  Sahel  more  and  more,  for  we 
had  our  own  way  there  to  a  far  greater  extent 
than  at  Bet  il  Watoro.  Nor  did  we  miss  many 
opportunities  to  play  silly  tricks,  and  when 
punishment  was  the  result  I  fared  better  than 
the  others,  on  account  of  Chole's  extreme  good 
nature. 

We  owned  several  handsome  peacocks,  one  of 
which  possessed  an  ugly  disposition  and  could 
not  endure  us  children.  One  day,  as  five  of  us 
were  crossing  over  from  Bet  il  Sahel  to  Bet  il 
Tani — a  sort  of  annex  to  the  former — the  peacock 
in  question  suddenly  made  a  furious  attack  upon 
my  brother  Djemshid.  We  all  immediately 
pounced  upon  the  monster  and  vanquished  it, 
but  were  much  too  angry  to  think  of  letting  it  go 
without  a  reminder  for  its  misconduct.  So  we 
concluded  upon  a  hideous  revenge,  and  pulled  out 

43 


44  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  bird's  handsomest  tail  feathers.  And  what  a 
pitiful  wreck  that  proud,  bellicose  beauty  looked 
then!  Luckily  our  father  happened  to  be  in  Bet  il 
Mtoni  that  day,  and  the  affair  was  hushed  up  by 
the  time  he  returned. 

I  remember  that  two  Circassians  joined  us,  from 
Egypt,  and  that  we  children  noticed  how  haughty 
one  of  them  was,  ignoring  us  completely,  in  fact. 
This  struck  at  our  vanity;  we  accordingly  tried 
to  hatch  out  some  scheme  for  the  offender's  un- 
doing. It  was  no  easy  matter  to  reach  her,  as 
she  avoided  us,  and  we  never  had  any  dealings 
with  her.  But  this  only  aggravated  us  the  more, 
especially  as  she  was  our  senior  by  only  a  few  years. 
One  day,  passing  her  room,  we  found  the  door  open. 
She  was  sitting  on  a  fragile  Suahili  bed,  constructed 
of  little  else  but  a  mat  attached  by  cords  to  four 
posts.  She  was  merrily  singing  some  national 
ditty  to  herself.  My  sister  Shewane  acted  as 
ringleader;  she  gave  us  a  significant  glance  of 
which  we,  all  kindred  spirits,  were  not  slow  to 
catch  the  meaning.  In  a  moment  we  had  rushed 
in,  seized  the  bed  at  its  four  corners,  lifted  it  up 
as  high  as  we  were  able,  and  let  it  bump  down  to 
the  floor  again,  to  the  great  terror  of  the  amazed 
occupant.  It  was  a  childish  trick,  but  was  war- 
ranted by  the  effect  it  had,  which  was  to  cure  our 
victim  of  her  indifference  toward  us  for  good  and 
all,  so  that  ever  after  she  was  affability  itself. 
Our  object  was  therefore  attained. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  45 

But  occasionally  I  would  play  some  prank  on 
my  own  account.  Once,  soon  after  our  removal 
to  Bel  il  Watoro,  I  risked  my  neck  in  a  humorous 
adventure  of  the  sort.  One  morning  I  made  my 
escape,  and  climbed  a  tall  cocoanut  palm  as  quick 
as  a  cat  and  unaided  by  a  pingu,  the  stout  rope 
that  even  expert  climbers  never  dream  of  dis- 
pensing with.  Having  got  half-way  up,  I  im- 
pudently began  to  call  down  my  greetings  to  the 
passers-by.  What  a  fright  they  got  into!  A 
group  of  alarmed  individuals  collected  round  the 
tree,  imploring  me  to  come  down  with  all  the 
caution  I  could  muster.  It  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion to  send  anyone  up  for  me;  in  climbing  a  palm 
tree,  one's  hands  are  fully  occupied,  and  one  can- 
not take  care  of  a  child  besides  oneself.  However, 
I  was  enjoying  myself  capitally,  and  not  until  my 
mother  appealed  to  me  in  heart-broken  accents 
of  despair,  promising  me  all  sorts  of  fine  things, 
would  I  vouchsafe  to  descend,  which  finally  I  did, 
sliding  down  with  great  deliberation,  and  reaching 
the  ground  in  safety.  That  day  I  was  everybody's 
pet ;  presents  were  showered  upon  me  to  celebrate 
my  fortunate  deliverance  from  danger,  though 
I  really  deserved  a  severe  flogging.  We  were 
always  playing  some  trick  or  other,  no  punish- 
ment deterring  us  from  the  continuation  of  our 
naughtiness.  There  were  seven  of  us,  three  boys 
and  four  girls,  who  kept  the  house  lively,  and  often, 
alas,  got  our  poor  mothers  into  trouble. 


46  MEMOIRS  OF 

Now  and  then  my  dear  mother  kept  me  at  home 
on  some  other  day  than  Friday,  which  oppor- 
tunities the  indulgent  Majid  seized  upon  to  spoil 
me  thoroughly.  It  was  on  one  of  those  occasions 
that  he  gave  us  a  terrible  fright.  He  was  subject 
to  frequent  cramps,  whence  he  was  rarely,  if  ever, 
left  unattended,  Even  if  he  took  a  bath,  my 
mother  and  Chaduji,  whose  confidence  in  the 
servants  was  limited,  took  it  in  turn  to  watch  at 
the  door,  exchanging  a  few  words  with  him  from 
time  to  time,  when  he  would  indulge  in  his  favour- 
ite pleasantry  of  exclaiming  "I  am  still  alive!" 
Thus  Chaduji,  while  walking  to  and  fro  outside 
the  bathroom  door  one  day,  suddenly  heard  a 
heavy  thud  inside.  Entering,  in  great  perturba- 
tion, she  found  my  beloved  brother  on  the  floor, 
in  the  throes  of  a  violent  attack — the  worst  he 
had  ever  suffered.  A  mounted  messenger  was  at 
once  despatched  to  Bet  il  Mtoni,  to  summon  my 
father. 

From  their  ignorance  about  diseases  in  general, 
the  people  of  Zanzibar  are  dupes  of  quackery; 
indeed,  now  that  I  am  familiar  with  the  natural 
and  rational  treatment  of  diseases  by  competent 
doctors,  I  feel  tempted  to  believe  that  many  deaths 
at  home  must  have  been  due  to  barbarous  medical 
methods  rather  than  to  sickness. 

Unfortified  with  that  adamantine  faith  in  our 
"  destiny,"  I  hardly  know  how  we  should  have 
supported  our  grief  over  the  numerous  deaths 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  47 

among  our  family  and  retainers.  Poor  Majid, 
who  lay  unconscious  for  hours  in  his  spasms,  was 
obliged  to  breathe  air  which  would  have  been 
injurious  to  the  healthiest  person.  Despite  our 
great  indoor  love  of  free,  fresh  air,  an  invalid, 
especially  if  suspected  of  visitation  by  the  Evil 
One,  is  rigidly  secluded  from  the  outer  atmosphere, 
and  his  room,  as  well  as  the  whole  house,  vigorously 
fumigated. 

The  Sultan  landed  about  an  hour  after  Majid's 
seizure  in  a  mtumbi,  a  tiny  fishing  boat  holding  only 
one  person.  He  hastened  to  the  house,  and  though 
the  parent  of  more  than  forty  children  was  pas- 
sionately affected  by  the  illness  of  one.  Bitter 
tears  coursed  down  his  cheeks  as  he  stood  at  the 
sickbed,  crying  out'  aloud  "Oh,  Allah,  oh,  Allah, 
preserve  my  son!"  Thus  did  he  pray  without 
ceasing.  The  Most  High  listened  to  his  petition, 
and  Majid  was  restored  to  us. 

When  my  mother  questioned  the  Sultan  as  to 
his  reason  for  coming  in  such  a  miserable  craft, 
he  replied:  "At  the  moment  the  messenger 
arrived,  there  was  not  a  boat  of  any  kind  ready 
on  the  shore,  and  none  could  have  been  obtained 
without  first  being  signalled  for.  I  had  no  time 
to  spare,  and  did  not  even  want  to  wait  for  a 
horse  to  be  saddled.  Just  then  I  happened  to 
catch  sight  of  a  fisherman  in  his  mtumbi  close  to 
the  benjile;  I  hailed  him,  caught  up  my  arms, 
jumped  in,  and  made  off  immediately."  Now 


48  MEMOIRS  OF 

you  must  know  that  a  mtumbi  is  nothing  but  the 
trunk  of  a  tree  hollowed  out,  is  supposed  to  hold 
but  one,  and  is  propelled  by  a  double  paddle 
instead  of  oars.  Narrow,  short,  and  pointed  at 
the  bow,  it  therefore  differs  from  what  is  known 
in  Germany  as  the  "Greenland  canoe."  In  this 
country  too  it  must  sound  strange  that  a  man 
plunged  into  anxiety  about  his  son's  life  should 
yet  think  of  his  weapons.  Well,  customs  vary  all 
the  world  over.  As  to  the  European  the  Arab's 
fondness  for  his  arms  is  incomprehensible,  so  the 
Arab  mind  has  much  difficulty  in  understanding 
some  of  the  Northern  usages.  Just  now  the 
awful  toping  by  the  male  sex  occurs  to  me  as  an 
example. 

Thus  I  went  to  school  every  day  at  Bet  il  Sahel, 
returning  each  evening  to  my  mother  at  Bet  il 
Watoro.  After  having  learnt  about  a  third  of 
the  Koran  by  heart,  I  was  supposed  to  have  done 
with  school,  at  the  age  of  nine.  Thenceforth 
I  repaired  but  on  Fridays  to  Bet  il  Sahel — my 
father's  day  there — in  the  company  of  my  mother 
and  Chaduji. 

We  went  on  living  contentedly  in  this  way  at 
Bet  il  Watoro  for  two  years.  But  good  times 
cannot  be  expected  to  last;  usually  some  unfore- 
seen and  untoward  event  disturbs  one's  peace. 
So  in  our  case. 

The  cause  of  strife  in  our  household  was  a 
creature  than  whom  none  could  have  been  more 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  49 

charming  and  lovable.  Assha,  a  distant  relative 
of  ours,  had  recently  come  from  Oman  to  Zanzibar, 
where  she  was  soon  taken  to  wife  by  Majid.  We 
were  all  devoted  to  her,  and  all  rejoiced  over 
Majid's  happiness,  with  the  single  exception  of 
his  sister  Chaduji,  who,  I  deeply  regret  to  confess 
wronged  Assha  entirely,  from  beginning  to  end. 
Assha,  I  have  remarked,  was  in  every  respect 
charming;  besides,  she  was  quite  young,  so 
that  Chaduji  ought  to  have  instructed  her,  and 
by  degrees  have  imparted  dignity  to  her.  But 
she  treated  her  with  scorn  and  enmity.  Her 
marriage  to  Majid  entitled  Assha  to  first  place  in 
the  household;  nevertheless,  Chaduji  patronised 
her  so  that  the  poor,  gentle  soul  would  go  weep- 
ing to  my  mother,  to  complain  of  this  unwarranted 
treatment.  My  mother's  situation  between  two 
fires,  as  it  were,  became  most  difficult  and  un- 
enviable. Chaduji  declined  to  surrender  any  of 
her  imaginary  rights,  and  continued  to  look  upon 
Assha  as  an  irresponsible  child.  In  vain  did  my 
mother  endeavour  to  rectify  her  views,  and  to 
make  her  recognise  the  position  of  Majid's  wife; 
in  vain  she  besought  her  to  spare  Majid  whatever 
annoyance  she  could,  for  his  own  sake.  Yet  it 
was  all  done  in  vain.  Our  once  agreeable  existence 
at  Bet  il  Watoro  became  unbearable,  and  in  order 
to  escape  from  a  scene  of  perpetual  discussion  my 
mother  decided  to  leave  the  house  she  liked  so  well. 
Majid  and  his  wife  would  not  hear  of  her  depar- 


So  MEMOIRS  OF 

ture,  Assha  being  quite  inconsolable;  Chaduji,  on 
the  other  hand,  remained  unmoved,  which  served 
to  strengthen  my  mother  in  her  resolve.  Assha 
herself  at  last  felt  she  could  put  up  with  Chaduji 's 
autocratic  ways  no  longer,  and  obtained  a  divorce 
from  Majid.  The  poor  thing  took  her  wretched 
experiences  in  Zanzibar  so  to  heart  that  she 
would  none  of  the  country  or  its  inhabitants. 
Under  favour  of  the  south  wind  she  sailed  back 
to  Oman,  where  she  had  an  aunt  living  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Muscat,  the  capital,  both  her 
parents  having  died.  As  for  my  mother  and  me, 
our  removal  had  been  planned  for  some  time, 
and  we  migrated  to  Bet  il  Tani.  My  sister  Chole 
was  delighted,  as  we  now  were  almost  under  her 
very  roof;  she  in  fact  secured  and  arranged  our 
new  quarters  for  us. 

The  Sultan's  houses  were  all  so  crowded  that 
it  was  no  easy  matter  to  get  rooms,  and  gradually 
a  habit  had  arisen  of  counting  upon  vacancies 
through  death.  It  was  really  abominable  to  see 
a  woman  prick  up  her  ears  at  another  woman's 
cough,  as  if  hoping  for  a  case  of  consumption. 
Sinful  as  such  thoughts  must  appear,  they  were 
of  course  due  to  this  overcrowding.  My  mother 
and  I  owed  it  to  Chole  that  we  got  a  fine,  large 
room  at  Bet  il  Tani  without  having  to  wait  for 
somebody's  decease.  Chaduji  we  rarely  saw  now; 
she  felt  insulted  by  our  change  of  abode,  and 
accused  my  mother  of  lack  of  affection  for  her, 


Photograph  by  Mr.  Samuel  Zweeren 

TYPE  OF  OMAN  ARAB 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  51 

quite  wrongfully,  to  be  sure.  But  my  mother 
had  simply  been  unable  to  endure  Chaduji's 
oppression  of  the  girl  whose  chief  offence  was 
having  become  Ma j id's  wife.  He  continued  to 
visit  us,  however,  and  to  remain  one  of  our  best 
friends. 

Bet  il  Tani  was  situated  in  immediate  proximity 
to  Bet  il  Sahel,  and  was  connected  with  it  by  a 
bridget  hat  passed  over  a  Turkish  bath-house 
midway  between  the  two.  At  the  time  I  speak 
of  Bet  il  Tani  presented  but  a  shadow  of  its  former 
splendours.  On  its  first  story  there  had  once 
lived  a  Persian  princess,  Shesadeh  by  name. 
She  was  one  of  my  father's  principal  wives  and  a 
great  beauty.  Said  to  have  been  enormously 
extravagant,  she  nevertheless  had  the  reputation 
of  great  kindness  toward  her  stepchildren.  A 
hundred  and  fifty  Persian  horsemen,  who  occupied 
the  ground  floor,  formed  her  modest  suite;  she 
rode  and  hunted  with  them  in  the  open  light  of 
day,  which,  according  to  Arabian  notions,  was 
going  rather  too  far.  The  Persian  women  seem 
to  receive  a  sort  of  Spartan  education;  they  have 
a  great  deal  more  liberty  than  ours,  but  are  coarser 
both  in  thought  and  behaviour. 

Shesadeh,  I  was  told,  had  led  a  most  luxurious 
life.  Her  clothes — Persian  style — were  literally 
stitched  with  genuine  pearls  from  top  to  bottom; 
if  a  servant,  sweeping  the  rooms,  found  any  on 
the  floor,  the  princess  would  always  refuse  to  take 


52  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

them  back.  She  not  only  made  desperate  inroads 
upon  the  Sultan's  bounty,  but  transgressed  against 
sacred  laws.  Marrying  my  father  for  his  wealth, 
her  heart  was  bestowed  on  another.  The  Sultan 
went  nigh  to  incurring  blood-guiltiness  one  day, 
in  the  heat  of  his  anger,  when  a  faithful  attendant 
stayed  his  arm,  saving  Shesadeh  from  death  and 
my  father  from  a  dreadful  sin.  Nothing  but 
divorce  was  possible  after  that;  fortunately  the 
union  had  been  childless.  Some  years  later  the 
Sultan  was  fighting  the  Persians  at  Bender  Abbas, 
on  the  Persian  Gulf,  when,  it  was  reported,  the 
handsome  Shesadeh  was  observed  with  the  hostile 
forces,  aiming  at  members  of  our  family. 

In  that  princess's  erstwhile  home  I  began  to 
learn  writing  on  my  own  account,  and  after  a  very 
primitive  method.  Of  course  this  had  to  be  done 
in  secret,  as  women  are  never  taught  to  write, 
and  any  knowledge  they  may  acquire  of  it  must 
not  be  discovered.  For  a  first  lesson  I  took  the 
Koran,  and  tried  to  imitate  the  characters  on  the 
shoulderblade  of  a  camel,  which  in  Zanzibar  does 
duty  for  a  slate.  Success  inspired  me  with  en- 
couragement— I  made  quick  progress.  But  event- 
ually I  needed  some  guidance  in  caligraphy 
proper,  so  I  imposed  upon  one  of  our  "  educated ' 
slaves  the  huge  honour  of  acting  as  my  writing 
master.  Somehow  the  affair  came  to  light,  and 
torrents  of  obloquy  descended  upon  me.  But 
not  a  rap  cared  I! 


CHAPTER  V 
NATIONAL  SINGULARITIES 

THE  VAUNTED  ACTIVITY  OF  NORTHERN  PEOPLES — 
INFANT  DRESS A  CLIMATE  FAVOURING  EASE 

PRAYER    FIVE    TIMES    A    DAY INTERVENING 

PURSUITS CHEWING     BETEL GOING    TO     BED 

— MENU  A  LA  ZANZIBAR — REAL  COFFEE 

OVER  and  over  again  I  have  been  asked :  "How 
on  earth  do  the  people  manage  to  exist  in  your 
country,  without  anything  to  do?"  And  the 
question  is  justifiable  enough  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  Northerner,  who  simply  cannot 
imagine  life  without  work,  and  who  is  convinced 
the  Oriental  never  stirs  her  little  finger,  but 
dreams  away  most  of  her  time  in  the  seclusion  of 
the  harem.  Of  course,  natural  conditions  vary 
throughout  the  world,  and  it  is  they  that  govern 
our  ideas,  our  habits,  and  our  customs.  In  the 
North  one  is  compelled  to  exert  oneself  in  order 
to  live  at  all,  and  very  hard  too,  if  one  wishes  to 
enjoy  life,  but  the  Southern  races  are  greatly 
favoured.  I  repeat  the  word  "  favoured  "  because 
the  frugality  of  a  people  is  an  inestimable  blessing; 
the  Arabs,  who  are  often  described  in  books  as 
exceedingly  idle,  are  remarkably  frugal,  more  so 
perhaps  than  any  but  the  Chinese.  Nature  her- 

53 


54  MEMOIRS  OF 

self  has  ordained  that  the  Southerner  can  work, 
while  the  Northerner  must.  The  Northern  nations 
seem  to  be  very  conceited,  and  look  down  with 
pride  and  contempt  upon  the  people  of  the  tropics 
— not  a  laudable  state  of  mind.  At  the  same  time 
they  are  blind  to  the  fact,  in  Europe,  that  their 
activity  is  absolutely  compulsory  to.  prevent  them 
from  perishing  by  the  hundred  thousand.  The 
European  is  obliged  to  work — that  is  all;  hence 
he  has  no  right  to  make  such  a  great  virtue  of 
sheer  necessity.  Are  not  Italians,  Spaniards,  and 
Portuguese  less  industrious  than  Germans  and 
Englishmen?  And  what  may  the  reason  be? 
Merely  that  the  former  have  more  summer  than 
winter,  and  consequently  that  they  have  less  of  a 
struggle  for  existence.  A  cold  climate  implies 
the  providing  and  securing  oneself  against  all 
sorts  of  contingencies  and  actualities  quite  un- 
known in  southern  lands. 

Luxury  plays  the  same  part  everywhere.  Who 
has  the  money  and  the  inclination  will  find  op- 
portunity to  gratify  his  fancies,  whatever  quarter 
of  the  globe  he  may  inhabit.  So  let  us  leave 
this  subject  untouched,  and  confine  ourselves 
to  the  real  necessities  of  life.  If  in  this  country 
the  new-born  infant  requires  a  quantity  of  things 
to  protect  its  frail  existence  against  the  perversi- 
ties of  a  changeable  climate,  the  little  brown- 
skinned  Southerner  lies  almost  naked,  slumbering 
easily  while  fanned  by  a  perpetual  current  of 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  55 

warm  air.  If  in  Germany  a  two-year-old  child 
needs  shoes,  stockings,  pantalettes,  a  couple  of 
petticoats,  a  dress,  an  overcoat,  gloves,  scarf, 
gaiters,  muff,  and  a  fur  cap,  whether  it  belongs 
to  a  banker  or  a  labourer — the  quality  being  all 
that  differs — in  Zanzibar  the  costume  of  a  royal 
prince  of  the  same  age  comprises  two  articles, 
shirt  and  cap.  Then  why  should  an  Arabian 
mother,  whose  demands  for  herself  and  child  are 
so  small,  work  as  hard  as  a  German  housewife? 
She  has  never  heard  of  darning  gloves  and  stock- 
ings, of  performing  the  sundry  labours  done  for 
a  European  child  once  a  week. 

A  certain  great  institution  of  European  house- 
holds we  are  ignorant  of — washday.  In  Zanzibar 
we  wash  every  day  whatever  needs  washing,  and 
in  half  an  hour's  time  the  things  are  all  dry, 
pressed  (not  ironed),  and  put  away.  We  also 
dispense  with  curtains,  which  besides  being  trouble- 
some and  keeping  out  the  sunlight,  have  to  be 
kept  clean  and  in  repair.  An  Oriental  woman, 
whatever  her  rank,  tears  her  clothes  to  a  sur- 
prisingly limited  extent,  which  is  natural  enough, 
since  she  does  not  move  about  so  much,  frequents 
the  public  thoroughfares  less,  and  possesses  fewer 
garments. 

All  these,  and  several  other  considerations 
help  to  make  the  Oriental  woman's  lot  more 
bearable  and  comfortable  than  the  European's, 
without  particular  regard  to  social  station.  But 


56  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  order  to  be  familiar  with  the  details  of  their 
daily  life  one  must  have  spent  some  time  among 
them.  Tourists,  who  make  only  a  brief  sojourn 
in  those  parts,  and  who,  perhaps,  get  their  infor- 
mation from  waiters  at  hotels,  are  scarcely  to  be 
considered  as  credible  witnesses.  European  ladies 
who  may  actually  have  penetrated  into  a  harem, 
perhaps  in  Constantinople  or  in  Cairo,  are  still 
unacquainted  with  the  real  harem;  they  have 
only  known  its  outer  semblance  in  the  rooms  kept 
for  show,  rooms  where  European  finery  is  partially 
aped.  Besides,  the  climate  is  so  generous  and 
beneficent  that  one  hardly  need  trouble  about 
the  morrow.  I  do  not  deny  that  the  people  down 
there  are  disposed  to  taking  things  easy,  but 
remembering  the  heat  of  July  and  August  in 
Europe,  one  may  conceive  what  sort  of  effect  the 
tropical  sun  would  have  upon  one. 

The  Arab  has  no  leaning  toward  commerce  and 
industry;  he  cares  for  little  else  than  warfare  and 
agriculture.  Few  Arabs  take  to  a  special  trade 
or  profession;  they  make  indifferent  merchants, 
though  much  given  to  bartering;  the  Semitic 
sense  of  business  they  appear  to  lack.  His  frugal- 
ity enables  the  Arab  to  make  ends  meet  easily, 
and  as  a  rule  he  thinks  only  of  the  immediate 
present.  He  never  plans  for  the  distant  future, 
for  he  knows  that  any  day  may  be  his  last.  Thus 
the  life  of  the  Oriental  glides  smoothly  and  easily 
along.  Still,  I  now  am  describing  only  the  life 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  57 

in  Zanzibar  and  Oman,  which  in  various  respects 
differ  from  other  Eastern  countries. 

The  Mahometan's  day  is  regulated — if  that  is 
not  saying  too  much — by  his  religious  devotions. 
Five  times  a  day  does  he  bend  the  knee  to  God, 
and  if  he  properly  performs  all  the  contingent 
ablutions  and  changes  of  raiment  in  accordance 
with  scriptural  ruling,  fully  three  hours  will  be 
consumed.  The  rich  are  awakened  between  four 
and  half-past  five  for  the  first  prayer,  after  which 
they  return  to  bed,  but  the  common  people  begin 
the  day's  work  with  their  first  prayer.  In  our 
establishment,  where  hundreds  of  inmates  tried 
to  follow  their  individual  tastes,  it  was  hard  to 
maintain  fixed  rules,  although  the  two  general 
repasts  and  the  devotions  compelled  a  measure 
of  systematic  order.  Most  of  us,  then,  slept  on 
again  until  eight  o'clock,  when  the  women  and 
children  were  roused  by  a  gentle  and  agreeable 
kneading  process,  at  the  hands  of  a  female  servant. 
A  bath  of  fresh  spring  water  was  ready,  and  like- 
wise our  wearing  apparel,  strewn  the  night  before 
with  jessamine  or  orange  blossoms,  and  now 
scented  with  amber  and  musk.  Nowhere  in  the 
world  is  the  cold  bath  used  and  appreciated  more 
than  in  the  East.  After  dressing,  which  usually 
took  up  an  hour,  we  all  went  to  see  our  father, 
to  wish  him  "good  morning,"  and  then  to  partake 
of  the  first  meal.  To  this  we  were  summoned 
by  a  drum,  but  as  the  table  was  completely  set 


58  MEMOIRS  OF 

beforehand,  much  less  time  was  occupied  in  eating 
than  the  European  method  demands. 

It  was  then  that  the  day's  real  activities  opened. 
The  gentlemen  prepared  for  the  audience  chamber, 
while  the  ladies — who  were  not  obliged  to  work — 
took  seats  at  their  windows,,  to  watch  the  passing 
in  the  street  below,  and  to  catch  such  private 
glances  as  might  occasionally  be  thrown  up  at 
them.  This  provided  great  amusement;  only 
sometimes  a  cautious  mother  or  aunt  would  con- 
trive to  coax  one  away  from  the  coign  of  vantage. 
Two  or  three  hours  thus  sped  quickly  by.  Visits 
were  meanwhile  being  exchanged  among  the  gentle- 
men, the  ladies  sending  out  servants  with  verbal 
appointments  for  the  evening.  Sedately  minded 
persons,  however,  went  to  their  airy  apartments, 
where,  either  alone,  or  in  small  groups,  they  did 
needlework,  stitching  their  veils,  shirts,  or  trousers 
with  gold  braid,  or  a  husband's,  son's,  or  brother's 
shirt  with  red  or  white  silk,  which  needed  par- 
ticular skill.  The  remainder  would  read  stories, 
visit  sick  or  well  friends  in  their  rooms,  or  attend 
to  other  private  affairs.  By  this  time  it  was  one 
o'clock.  Servants  came  to  remind  us  of  the 
second  prayer.  The  sun  was  at  its  height  then, 
so  that  everyone  was  glad  to  open  the  early 
part  of  the  afternoon  reposing,  in  a  thin,  cool 
garment,  on  a  soft,  prettily  woven  mat  with 
sacred  inscriptions  worked  upon  it.  Between 
dozing,  chatting,  and  nibbling  at  fruit  or  cake, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  59 

the  time  passed  very  pleasantly  until  four  o'clock, 
when  we  prayed  for  the  third  time ;  a  more  elabo- 
rate toilette  followed,  and  we  repaired  again  to 
the  presence  of  the  Sultan,  to  wish  him  "good 
afternoon."  The  grown-up  children  were  allowed 
to  call  him  "father,"  but  the  little  ones  and  their 
mothers  had  to  address  him  as  "Sir." 

Now  came  the  second  and  last  meal  of  the  day, 
at  which  the  family  would  assemble.  Upon  its 
termination,  the  eunuchs  would  carry  European 
chairs  out  upon  the  broad  veranda,  but  only  for 
the  adults;  the  small  people  stood  up  as  a  mark 
of  respect  for  age,  which  is  held  in  greater  rever- 
ence there  than  anywhere  else.  The  family 
gathered  about  the  Sultan,  while  a  row  of  smart, 
well-armed  eunuchs  lined  the  background.  Coffee 
was  passed  round,  as  well  as  beverages  prepared 
from  the  essence  of  French  fruits.  The  conversa- 
tion was'  accompanied  by  a  stupendous  barrel 
organ,  the  biggest  I  ever  saw;  by  way  of  change 
one  of  the  large  music  boxes  would  be  set  going, 
or  a  blind  Arabian  girl  named  Amra,  who  was 
gifted  with  a  lovely  voice,  would  be  ordered  to 
sing. 

In  about  an  hour  and  a  half  the  family  separated, 
each  following  his  or  her  own  devices.  Chewing 
betel  was  a  favourite  pastime.  It  is  a  Suahili 
habit,  so  that  the  Arabs  of  Arabia  Proper  find 
no  pleasure  therein;  but  those  of  us  born  on  the 
east  coast  of  Africa,  and  brought  up  among 


60  MEMOIRS  OF 

Negroes  and  mulattoes,  took  to  the  habit  quite 
readily,  in  spite  of  derision  from  our  Asiatic  rela- 
tives. We  chewed  betel  surreptitiously,  however, 
while  absent  from  the  Sultan,  who  had  forbidden 
the  practice. 

With  the  aid  of  miscellaneous  diversions  the 
brief  space  slipped  by  till  sundown,  announced  by 
musketry  fire  and  drumming  on  the  part  of  the 
Indian  guard.  This  also  constituted  a  signal  for 
prayer.  But  the  fourth  observance  was  the  most 
hurried  of  the  day,  since  everybody  not  intending 
to  pay  visits  would  be  expecting  guests  at  home — 
sisters,  stepmothers,  stepchildren,  secondary  wives. 
For  entertainment  there  was  coffee  and  lemonade, 
cakes  and  fruit,  jesting  and  laughing,  reading 
aloud,  playing  cards  (but  not  for  money  or  any 
other  stake),  singing,  listening  to  the  sese  being 
played  upon  by  a  Negro,  sewing,  stitching,  lace- 
making — just  as  one  felt  inclined. 

So  it  is  altogether  wrong  to  suppose  that  the 
rich  Oriental  woman  has  nothing  to  do.  True, 
she  neither  paints,  plays  the  piano,  nor  dances 
(as  understood  here).  But  those  are  not  the 
only  existing  methods  of  passing  the  time.  Down 
there  we  are  all  contented;  to  us  the  feverish, 
everlasting  chase  after  new  pleasures  and  enjoy- 
ments is  quite  foreign.  From  the  European  point 
of  view,  therefore,  the  Oriental  might  no  doubt 
be  looked  upon  as  a  Philistine. 

Upon  retiring  for  the   night  we  dismissed    the 


Photograph  by  Mrs.  Emma  Shaw  Colcleugh 

NATIVE  MUSICIAN 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  61 

male  servants,  who  joined  their  families,  living 
in  separate  dwellings  apart  from  the  house.  The 
oil  lamps  were  usually  left  burning,  the  candles 
only  being  extinguished.  The  custom  of  sending 
children  over  two  years  to  bed  at  a  certain  hour 
had  died  out;  they  chose  their  own  time,  and  often 
their  own  place,  for  going  to  sleep,  so  that  occas- 
ionally they  would  have  to  be  picked  up  tenderly 
by  slaves,  and  transported  with  the  least  possible 
noise  to  their  own  little  cots.  Whoever  had 
neither  gone  out,  nor  had  received  visitors,  gen- 
erally retired  at  ten  o'clock,  though  some  preferred 
to  enjoy  the  air  on  the  flat,  well-swept  roof  until 
midnight.  At  about  half-past  seven  the  fifth 
and  last  prayer  was  supposed  to  be  offered  up. 
But  just  then  one  is  likely  to  have  company,  or  be 
otherwise  engaged;  hence  a  rule  permitting  post- 
ponement of  the  final  devotions  till  bedtime. 
Women  of  wealth  go  to  sleep  by  the  assistance  of 
two  female  slaves;  one  repeats  the  kneading 
operation,  the  other  manipulates  a  fan.  To  wash 
the  feet  first  in  eau  de  Cologne  is  most  refreshing. 
I  may  have  mentioned  that  women  keep  all  their 
clothes  on,  including  their  jewellery. 

Returning  to  the  culinary  department,  I  must 
give  some  details  about  the  eating  arrangements 
in  my  father's  palace  at  Zanzibar.  We  had  no 
special  dining  room,  but  took  our  meals  on  the 
veranda.  There  the  eunuchs  spread  along  sefra 
with  all  the  food  for  the  whole  repast.  A  sefra 


62  MEMOIRS  OF 

somewhat  resembles  a  billiard  table  in  shape; 
it  is  only  a  few  inches  high,  however,  and  around 
the  top  runs  a  wide  ledge.  Although  we  pos- 
sessed a  lot  of  European  furniture — lounges,  tables 
chairs,  and  even  a  few  wardrobes — we  neverthe- 
less sat  down  to  eat  in  true  Oriental  fashion,  upon 
carpets  or  mats  next  to  the  floor.  Precedence  by 
rank  was  strictly  observed,  the  Sultan  taking 
the  head ;  near  him  were  the  senior  .children,  the 
little  ones  (those  over  seven)  coming  at  the  end. 

We  had  numerous  dishes,  often  as  many  as 
fifteen.  Rice  formed  a  staple  at  each  meal,  and 
various  preparations  of  it  were  in  vogue.  In  the 
way  of  meat,  mutton  and  chicken  were  preferred. 
We  also  ate  fish,  oriental  breads  and  sundry 
pastry  and  sweetmeats.  Contrary  to  the  German 
system,  all  the  food  was  placed  on  the  table  before 
anybody  sat  down.  This  obviated  the  need  of 
service,  and  the  eunuchs  would  step  back,  lining 
up  at  a  little  distance,  ready  to  answer  commands. 
Frequently  the  Sultan  would  send  one  of  them, 
with  a  particularly  savoury  morsel,  to  a  child  not 
old  enough  to  eat  at  the  table,  or  perhaps  to  an 
invalid.  I  remember  the  special  corner  at  Bet  il 
Mtoni  where  I  used  to  receive  the  platefuls  he 
consigned  to  me.  We  mites  got  the  same  food  as 
the  grown-up  people,  but  of  course  it  was  a  privil- 
ege to  have  it  selected  by  our  father,  who  himself 
derived  great  pleasure  from  this. 

Upon  sitting  down,   everyone  said  grace  in  a 


Photograph  by  A 

NATIVE  COFFEE-PEDDLER 


&  Co.,  Zanzi 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  63 

low  but  distinct  tone:  "  In  the  name  of  Allah  the 
all  merciful."  After  eating  the  formula  was: 
"Thanks  be  to  the  Lord  of  the  Universe."  Our 
father  was  always  first  to  take  his  seat,  and  first 
to  rise.  One  plate  to  each  individual  was  not  the 
custom,  all  the  dishes  (except  the  rice)  being 
served  in  a  number  of  little  plates  standing  sym- 
metrically along  the  sefra,  so  that  a  couple  would 
eat  from  the  same  plate.  There  was  no  drinking 
simultaneous  with  the  eating,  but  afterward 
sherbet  or  sugared  water  was  obtainable.  Nor  was 
conversation  usual,  excepting  when  the  Sultan 
spoke  to  someone;  the  rest  of  the  time  silence 
prevailed — a  good  thing,  too.  Fruit  or  flowers 
were  never  to  be  seen  on  the  sefra.  A  few  minutes 
before  and  after  the  meal  slaves  offered  basins 
and  towels,  in  order  that  one  might  wash  one's 
hands.  We  chiefly  used  our  fingers  when  we  ate 
solids,  which  came  upon  the  table  cut  up  into 
small  pieces.  For  spoons  we  had  employment, 
but  knives  and  forks  were  not  brought  out  unless 
to  honour  European  guests.  Persons  of  refine- 
ment scented  their  hands,  besides  washing  them, 
to  drive  away  the  odour  of  food. 

Half  an  hour  after  the  repast  eunuchs  handed 
round  genuine  Mocha  in  tiny  cups  resting  on  gold 
or  silver  saucers.  In  the  East  the  coffee  is  thick 
and  syrupy,  but  filtered  clear;  invariably  drunk 
without  milk  or  sugar,  it  is  taken  without  any 
sort  of  eatables,  though  sometimes  delicate  slices 


64  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

of  areca  nut  are  provided.  The  coffee  is  poured 
out  immediately  prior  to  consumption,  which 
task  requires  such  skill  that  only  few  servants  are 
fitted  for  it.  The  coffee-bearer  carries  the  hand- 
some pot,  made  of  tin  adorned  with  brass,  in  his 
left  hand,  while  in  his  right  he  holds  only  a  single 
small  cup  and  saucer.  Behind  or  next  to  him  an 
assistant  carries  a  tray  with  empty  cups  and  a 
large  reserve  pot  of  coffee.  If  the  company  has 
dispersed,  these  men  have  to  follow  the  various 
members,  and  insure  their  partaking  of  the  de- 
licious beverage.  How  highly  coffee  is  esteemed 
by  the  Orientals,  everybody  knows.  The  greatest 
care  being  bestowed  upon  its  preparation,  it  is 
specially  roasted,  ground,  and  boiled  whenever 
wanted,  and  therefore  is  always  taken  perfectly 
fresh.  Roasted  beans  are  never  kept,  nor  boiled 
coffee,  either,  when  in  the  least  degree  stale,  being 
then  thrown  away  or  given  to  the  lower  servants. 

Our  second  and  last  general  meal  was  at  four  in 
the  afternoon,  and  since  it  corresponded  exactly 
to  the  first  I  shall  not  describe  it.  We  indulged 
in  nothing  else  but  light  refreshments,  such  as 
pastry,  fruit,  or  lemonade. 


CHAPTER  VI 
CEREMONIES  FOR  THE  NEWLY  BORN 

BIRTH — TIGHT  BANDAGING SHAVING  OF  THE  HEAD 

—PROTECTION   AGAINST  THE   EVIL-EYE THE 

SITTING  CEREMONY BLACK  NURSES  AND  EURO- 
PEAN  HARDINESS  OF  ORIENTAL  CHILDREN 

THE  birth  of  a  prince  or  a  princess,  though  not 
greeted  with  salvoes  of  artillery,  was  nevertheless 
always  a  happy  event,  in  spite  of  jealousies  to 
which  it  might  give  rise.  Seyyid  Said  and  the 
mother  would  not  be  alone  in  their  gladness;  we 
little  ones  honestly  participated  in  their  joy  be- 
cause the  ceremonies  for  infants  newly  come  into 
the  world  were  numerous,  and  the  festal  doings 
involved  our  small  presences.  There  were  usually 
five  or  six  accessions  a  year  to  our  family. 

The  prof essional  accoucheur  is  unknown  among 
Mahometans,  who  only  engage  midwives,  these 
however  being  incredibly  ignorant.  They  gen- 
erally came  to  Zanzibar  from  India,  being  preferred 
to  the  natives,  but  why  I  have  never  succeeded 
in  finding  out,  since  the  Indian  midwives  are  just 
as  devoid  of  practical  knowledge  as  the  Arabian 
or  Suahili.  Certain  it  is  that  if  mother  and  child 
manage  to  survive,  they  have  God  and  their  own 

65 


66  MEMOIRS  OF 

constitutions  to  thank,  and  not  those  stupid 
creatures.  After  I  was  grown  up  some  of  my 
married  friends  told  me  about  the  primitive 
methods  which  the  ignorant  bunglers  employed, 
and  which  would  hardly  bear  public  repetition. 

When  the  child  has  been  thoroughly  washed 
in  warm  water,  its  neck  and  armpits  are  sprinkled 
with  scented  powder,  and  it  is  put  into  a  little 
calico  or  muslin  shirt.  It  is  then  laid  on  its  back, 
the  arms  and  legs  are  straightened  out,  and  the 
whole  body  is  tightly  wound  in  a  bandage  from 
heel  to  shoulder,  the  extremities  being  covered 
thus  as  well  as  the  trunk.  Forty  days  and  nights 
does  the  infant  remain  imprisoned,  and  is  only 
released  for  bathing,  which  happens  twice  a  day. 
The  object  of  this  bandaging  is  to  give  the  child  a 
good,  erect  carriage.  The  baby  is  watched  by  its 
mother  with  loving  care,  however  many  servants 
she  may  have  at  her  disposal.  Slaves  alternate 
in  rocking  the  spacious,  handsomely  carved  wooden 
cradle,  which,  according  to  season,  is  protected  by 
mosquito  netting.  But  rarely  does  the  mother 
rock  the  baby,  and  when  she  makes  this  exception, 
she  regards  it  as  a  sort  of  amusement.  If  the  new 
arrival  be  a  girl,  the  ears  are  pierced  with  a  needle 
on  the  seventh  day  after  her  birth.  Six  holes  are 
usually  made  in  both  ears,  which  upon  the  lapse 
of  a  few  weeks  are  loaded  with  heavy  rings  forever. 
I  say  forever,  because  she  who  wears  none  is  either 
in  mourning,  or  else  has  no  holes  in  her  ears. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  67 

When  it  is  forty  days  old  a  peculiar  ceremony  is 
performed  upon  the  child,  which  would  be  almost 
impossible  in  Europe — namely,  the  shaving  of  the 
head.     How  surprised  my  German  nurse  was  in 
Hamburg  at  my  infant  daughter's  long  black  hair, 
and  how  great  was  her  impatience  until  my  hus- 
band  purchased   a  brush.     The   shaving   of  the 
head  is  done  by  the  chief  eunuch  amid  special 
formalities,  from  which  fumigation  with  a  kind  of 
india-rubber  must  never  be  omitted.     And  the 
first  hairs  taken  off  are   considered    as  a   great 
treasure;  they  may  neither  be  burnt,  nor  thrown 
on  the  dust  heap,  but  they  are  buried  in  the  ground, 
cast  into  the  sea,  or  hidden  in  the  crack  of  a  wall. 
Twenty  or  thirty  people  witness  the  shaving,  and 
the  chief  eunuch,  whose  experience  as  barber  is 
limited  to  such  occasions,  runs  no  small  risk  of 
damaging   the   precious   skull.     Our   "  court  ton- 
sorialist"    and    his    assistant    would    always    be 
liberally  rewarded  by  my  father. 

On  this  same  auspicious  day  the  baby  is  dis- 
encumbered of  the  aforesaid  bandage.  It  is 
dressed  up  in  a  silk  shirt,  and  a  cap  with  gold 
braid,  earrings,  anklets,  and  bracelets.  At  this 
date,  too  ceases  the  careful  seclusion  of  the  child 
from  the  outer  world,  as  up  till  now  none  but  the 
parents,  a  few  privileged  friends,  and  the  servants 
have  been  allowed  to  see  it.  For  the  rule  of 
privacy  the  popular  belief  in  the  evil  eye  and  all 
kinds  of  sinister  spells  is  responsible. 


68  MEMOIRS  OF 

Undoubtedly  Oriental  children  look  much  pret- 
tier at  this  time  of  their  life  than  European,  be- 
cause these  wear  too  much  white.  Though  I  have 
been  in  Germany  for  years,  I  cannot  change  my 
opinion;  in  fact  my  own  children  looked  dreadful 
to  me  in  their  baby  clothes.  The  contrast  with 
my  beautifully  apparelled  nephews  and  nieces 
was  most  unfavourable.  Perfumes  were  freely 
employed  in  Zanzibar.  The  child's  bedding, 
towels,  and  all  its  garments  were  first  scented  with 
sweet  jessamine,  and  again  with  amber  and  musk 
just  before  use,  and  finally  sprinkled  with  attar  of 
roses.  Only  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  doors 
and  windows  were  constantly  open  nearly  the 
whole  year  round,  which  counteracted  whatever 
noxious  effects  this  singular  custom  might  other- 
wise have  entailed. 

For  a  child's  protection  against  the  supposed 
evil-eye  it  is  given  certain  amulets,  which  with  the 
lower  classes  consist  of  an  onion,  a  piece  of  garlic, 
a  bone,  or  a  shell  perhaps,  fastened  to  the  left 
arm  in  a  small  leather  bag.  Instead  of  amulets, 
the  higher  classes  take  sayings  from  the  Koran 
engraved  on  gold  or  silver  medals,  suspended  from 
the  neck  by  a  chain.  Boys  keep  these  medals  up 
to  a  certain  age  only,  but  girls  often  continue 
wearing  them,  though  they  also  affect  the  so-called 
"guardian."  This  is  a  tiny  book,  of  two  inches 
by  one  and  a  half,  reposing  in  a  gold  or  silver  case, 
and  also  hung  from  the  neck  by  a  chain. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  69 

Besides  the  mother's  milk  the  baby  soon  receives 
other  milk,  several  times  a  day,  boiled  with  ground 
rice  and  sugar,  and  poured  into  a  cup  bearing  a 
long  spout.  The  bottle  was  quite  unknown  in 
my  day,  and  infants  got  no  other  food  until  their 
teeth  came,  when  they  could  eat  anything  they 
liked.  They  were  not  carried  about  much,  but 
preferably  set  down  on  a  carpet,  where  they  could 
roll  and  tumble  to  their  hearts'  content. 

As  soon  as  a  child  makes  its  first  attempts  at 
sitting,  another  ceremony  is  enacted.  Mother, 
nurses,  and  child  wear  their  finest  raiment. 
The  child  is  placed  on  a  square,  medium-sized 
cart,  which  has  very  low  wheels,  and  is  cushioned 
with  pillows  and  draperies.  A  short,  slender  pole 
stands  up  vertically  at  the  end  of  the  axle  nearest 
the  cart,  and  a  little  leg  is  put  on  each  side  of  the 
pole.  Meanwhile  some  Indian  corn  has  been 
roasted  by  a  peculiar  process,  so  that  the  grains 
have  swelled  up  to  the  size  of  thimbles;  they  are 
mixed  with  a  lot  of  silver  coins,  and  the  whole 
conglomeration  is  then  scattered  over  the  child's 
head,  young  brothers  and  sisters  making  a 
tremendous  rush  for  the  spoils. 

Until  their  feet  are  strong  enough  to  bear 
sandals — wooden  for  females,  and  leather  for 
males — children  simply  go  barefoot.  Neither  sex 
ever  wears  stockings  at  any  age,  but  a  lady  of 
rank  is  apt  to  do  so  when  she  rides  on  horseback, 
since  custom  demands  concealment  of  the  ankles. 


7o  MEMOIRS  OF 

At  the  age  of  three  or  four  months,  to  the  child's 
nurses  are  added  a  couple  of  slaves,  who  remain 
its  property  from  that  date.  The  older  it  grows, 
the  more  slaves  it  becomes  entitled  to,  and  if 
one  dies  the  father  bestows  another  or  a  corre- 
sponding sum  of  money.  Every  prince  stays 
altogether  with  the  women  of  the  household  until 
his  seventh  birthday,  when  he  is  circumcised  in 
consonance  with  the  Mosaic  rite.  .  Performed  in 
the  father's  presence,  this  ceremonial  involves 
lavish  hospitalities  stretching  over  three  days. 
At  this  time,  too,  the  boy  is  given  a  horse  for  his 
own,  so  that  he  learns  the  equestrian  art  early, 
in  fact  he  acquires  the  sort  of  proficiency  and 
agility  one  would  only  expect  of  a  circus  rider. 
We  were  innocent  of  proper  saddles  and  of  stirrups, 
at  home,  and  therefore  a  firm  seat  was  something 
to  boast  of. 

Our  nurses,  even  if  they  had  served  but  a  very 
short  while,  were  highly  considered,  and  greatly 
respected  all  their  lives.  Their  original  condition 
was  that  of  slavery,  but  as  a  rule  they  were  given 
their  freedom  in  recognition  of  fidelity  and  devo- 
tion. The  most  anxious  mother  can  safely  leave 
her  offspring  to  its  nurse,  who  is  likely  to  regard 
the  son  or  daughter  as  a  real  parent  might,  and 
to  treat  it  accordingly.  What  a  contrast  to  the 
neglect  and  the  heartlessness  of  German  nurses! 
Many  a  time,  out  walking,  have  I  felt  inclined  to 
scold  one  of  those  menials,  though  she  might  be  a 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  71 

stranger  to  me,  for  cruelty  to  her  tender  charge. 
How  different  the  behaviour  of  a  black  nurse! 
To  begin  with,  she  may  have  been  in  the  service 
of  her  mistress  for  years,  may  actually  have  been 
born  in  her  house.  Hence  she  is,  of  course,  un- 
likely to  have  many  private  interests,  and  is  so 
unhindered  from  making  those  of  the  family  her 
own.  And  then  the  very  important  circumstance 
that  a  black  nurse  very  frequently,  indeed  gen- 
erally, need  not  separate  from  her  own  child, 
which  receives  the  same  nourishment  as  the 
mistress's,  the  same  brew  of  milk,  the  same  chicken. 
It  is  bathed  with  its  more  exalted  comrade,  whose 
cast-off  clothes  it  inherits.  Its  mother's  occupa- 
tion as  a  nurse  ended,  it  still  remains  the  other 
child's  playmate,  and  none  but  an  evil  soul  would 
be  guilty  of  misconduct  toward  a  foster-brother 
or  sister. 

This  somewhat  patriarchal  system  may  account 
for  our  nurses  being  so  much  more  devoted  and 
trustworthy  than  the  European,  whom  I  have 
often  pitied,  in  spite  of  their  odious  deficiencies, 
because  they  were  obliged  to  leave  their  little  ones 
for  the  sake  of  money.  I  have  been  told  that 
those  women  do  not  feel  the  pang  as  keenly  as 
I  imagine,  but  I  cannot  believe  it.  Our  native 
nurses  are  however  conspicuous  for  one  bad 
quality;  they  tell  their  young  charges  the  most 
incredible,  monstrous  stories  and  legends,  either 
to  entertain  or  to  quiet  them.  Lions,  leopards, 


72  MEMOIRS  OF 

elephants,  and  witches  figure  the  most  prominently 
in  these  hair-raising  recitals,  which  are  sometimes 
enough  to  terrify  adults.  Nor  does  any  amount 
of  remonstrance  seem  to  change  the  habit. 

Upon  the  whole,  it  is  much  easier  to  bring  up 
children  in  the  South  than  in  the  North;  they  are 
spared  the  eternal  colds,  which  lead  to  so  many 
other  things.  But  they  are  self-reliant  and  active, 
their  luxurious  life  notwithstanding,  and  have 
greater  opportunity  to  scamper  about  and  play 
out  of  doors.  Formal  gymnastics  do  not  exist; 
on  the  other  hand,  a  boy's  taking  a  run  and  leap- 
ing over  a  horse,  or  even  two  horses,  excites  no 
surprise.  High  jumping  is  a  favourite  sport  at 
which  everyone  tries  to  outdo  everybody  else. 
Swimming  forms  an  equally  popular  diversion, 
and  is  invariably  self-taught,  while  the  pursuit 
of  shooting  is  taken  up  with  enthusiasm  quite 
early.  Although  boys  go  armed  to  the  teeth, 
and  carry  as  much  powder  and  shot  as  men,  one 
rarely  hears  of  an  accident  happening  through 
carelessness. 

Only  to  a  certain  age  does  the  young  prince 
dwell  under  the  paternal  roof;  after  that  a  sepa- 
rate residence  is  assigned  him,  where  he  sets  up 
independently — with  his  mother,  if  she  happens 
to  be  living.  The  Sultan  would  pay  him  a  monthly 
sum  by  way  of  allowance,  which  might  be  raised 
at  his  marriage,  upon  an  increase  of  his  family, 
or  in  case  of  irreproachable  conduct,  but  not  other- 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  73 

wise.  If  war  broke  out  in  Oman — a  regrettably 
frequent  occurrence — all  the  princes,  including 
those  half-grown,  were  obliged  to  join  the  forces 
and  take  part  in  the  fighting  like  the  common 
soldiers.  The  discipline  at  home  was  strict,  but 
it  tended  to  heighten  the  respect  of  the  Sultan's 
sons  for  their  father,  and  to  make  them  honour 
him  the  more.  As  a  little  tot  I  often  noticed  how 
one  of  my  elder  brothers,  anticipating  a  servant, 
would  offer  my  father  his  sandals,  that  had  been 
deposited  by  their  owner  at  the  door  at  entering 
the  room. 

There  is  scarcely  anything  to  say  about  the 
rearing  of  the  princesses;  they  are  brought  up  at 
first  in  the  same  way  as  the  boys,  only  that  after 
the  seventh  year  the  male  children  have  far  more 
liberty  outside  the  house.  However,  the  juvenile 
princess  has  a  broad,  heavy  silver  comb  put  in 
her  hair,  following  the  local  fashion,  so  that  the 
back  of  her  head  may  be  flat  when  she  is  grown 
up.  Should  she  marry  one  of  her  cousins — more 
plentiful  in  Oman  than  in  Zanzibar — she  naturally 
quits  her  father's  roof,  exchanging  it  for  her  hus- 
band's. Keeping  unwed,  she  has  the  choice 
between  continuance  under  her  father's  care  and 
the  protection  of  a  brother.  Each  sister  has  a 
pet  brother,  and  vice  versa;  in  joy  and  in  sorrow  do 
they  cling  affectionately  together,  comforting  and 
supporting  one  another  at  all  times.  Laudable 
enough  in  itself,  to  be  sure,  this  sentiment  yet 


74  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

stirred  up  jealousy  and  quarrels,  and  all  sorts  of 
family  strife. 

Upon  occasion  a  sister  would  plead  the  Sultan's 
pardon  for  a  delinquency  committed  by  her 
favourite  brother.  To  his  daughters  he  was  always 
willing  to  turn  an  indulgent  ear,  especially  the 
elder  ones.  Did  any  of  these  come  before  him, 
he  would  advance  to  meet  them,  and  would  allow 
them  to  sit  beside  him  on  the  sofa,  while  the 
grown  up  sons  and  we  small  people  stood  by  in 
proper  awe  and  humility. 


CHAPTER  VII 

SCHOOL 
AN  OUTDOOR  CLASSROOM — PRIMITIVE    APPARATUS 

FOR  STUDY PLAY  BEFORE  WORK — THE  COURSE 

OF     INSTRUCTION VERBAL     TERM     REPORTS 

BRIBING  THE  SCHOOLMARM — DEFECTS  OF  EURO- 
PEAN EDUCATION — CIVILISATION  AND  RELIGION 

SCHOOL  is  of  small  importance  to  the  Oriental. 
In  Europe  the  life  of  Church  and  State  is  bound 
up  with  that  of  the  schools,  influencing  all,  from 
prince  to  pauper.  Here  the  individual  depends 
very  largely,  both  as  regards  the  development 
of  his  character  and  the  hopefulness  of  his  future 
prospects,  upon  his  scholastic  career,  which  has 
so  little  significance  in  the  East,  and  which  to 
many  dwellers  of  those  parts  has  no  existence. 
Let  me  begin  my  disquisition  on  this  subject  by 
describing  the  system  in  vogue  at  my  home. 

At  the  age  of  six  or  seven  all  my  brothers  and 
sisters,  without  exception,  were  supposed  to 
commence  their  schooling.  We  girls  needed  only 
to  learn  reading,  but  the  boys  had  to  learn  writing 
as  well.  For  the  conduct  of  instruction  there 
was  one  female  teacher  at  Bet  il  Mtoni  and  one  at 
Bet  il  Sahel,  either  having  come  from  Oman  upon 
my  father's  behest.  When  therefore  the  mistress 

75 


76  MEMOIRS  OF 

fell  sick,  and  was  confined  to  bed,  we  rejoiced 
greatly  over  the  obligatory  holiday,  since  no 
substitute  could  be  obtained.  We  had  no  special 
schoolroom.  The  lessons  took  place  on  an  open 
veranda,  to  which  pigeons,  parrots,  peacocks,  and 
bobolinks  enjoyed  unrestricted  access.  This  ver- 
anda overlooked  a  courtyard,  so  that  we  could 
amuse  ourselves  by  watching  the  lively  proceedings 
down  below.  Our  academical  furniture  consisted 
of  one  enormous  mat,  and  equal  simplicity  dis- 
tinguished our  apparatus  for  study:  Koran  with 
its  stand,  a  small  pot  of  ink  (domestic  manu- 
facture), a  bamboo  pen,  and  a  well-bleached 
camel's  shoulderblade.  Easy  to  write  upon 
with  ink,  this  last-named  serves  as  a  slate;  one's 
nerves  are  spared  the  screeching  of  the  slate  pencil. 
The  camel  bones  were  usually  cleaned  off  by  slaves. 
Our  first  task  was  to  acquire  the  complicated 
Arabic  alphabet,  which  done  we  began  to  practice 
reading  in  the  Koran,  our  only  text-book,  the 
boys,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  receiving 
tuition  in  writing  besides.  When  some  progress 
had  been  attained  in  reading  we  did  it  all  together 
in  chorus,  at  the  top  of  our  voices.  And  that  was 
all,  for  no  explanations  are  ever  given.  Hence 
but  one  in  a  thousand  understands  properly,  and 
can  interpret,  the  thoughts  and  precepts  which 
the  Mahometan  scriptures  embody.  To  analyse 
holy  writ  shows  impiety;  it  is  strictly  forbidden, 
and  one  is  expected  to  believe  what  one  is  taught. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  77 

By  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  after  partaking 
of  some  fruit,  we  were  on  the  veranda,  awaiting 
the  mistress.  Pending  her  arrival,  we  would  have 
jumping  and  wrestling  matches,  and  would  clam- 
ber about  the  balustrade,  doing  our  best  to  risk 
our  lives.  One  of  us  would  be  stationed  as  sen- 
tinel at  a  suitable  place,  whence  a  fictitious  cough 
warned  us  of  the  pedagogic  approach.  In  a 
twinkling  every  pupil  was  down  on  the  mat,  look- 
ing the  picture  of  innocence,  and  upon  her  actual 
appearance  we  all  bounded  to  our  feet,  to  pay  the 
tyrant  obsequious  reverence.  In  one  hand  she 
bore  a  huge  metal  ink  pot,  and  in  the  other  the 
odious  bamboo  cane.  So  we  stood  up  deferentially 
until  she  had  seated  herself,  when  we  followed  her 
example.  We  all  sat,  cross-legged,  surrounding 
the  teacher.  First  she  recited  the  opening  chapter, 
or  sura,  of  the  Koran,  which  runs  thus:  "In  the 
name  of  the  most  merciful  God.  Praise  be  to  God, 
the  Lord  of  all  creatures,  the  most  merciful,  the 
King  of  the  day  of  judgment.  Thee  do  we  wor- 
ship, and  of  Thee  do  we  beg  assistance.  Direct 
us  in  the  right  way,  in  the  way  of  those  to  whom 
Thou  hast  been  gracious,  not  of  those  against  whom 
Thou  art  incensed,  nor  those  who  go  astray." 
Then  we  jointly  repeated  this  sura  after  her,  con- 
cluding with  the  usual  amen.  Hereupon  the 
lesson  of  the  preceding  day  was  reviewed,  upon 
which  new  tasks  in  reading  or  writing  were  begun. 
Instruction  continued  until  nine,  being  resumed 


78  MEMOIRS  OF 

from  after  breakfast  to  the  second  hour  of  prayer, 
about  one  o'clock. 

Everyone  was  permitted  to  bring  a  few  slaves 
to  school;  they  took  position  somewhere  in  the 
background,  while  we  children  arranged  ourselves 
on  the  mat  as  we  pleased.  Neither  regular  seats 
nor  division  into  classes  were  customary;  still 
less  was  there  any  attempt  at  the  term  reports 
that  cause  such  tremendous  excitement  here.  If 
a  pupil  was  particularly  backward  or  exceptionally 
forward,  if  remarkably  good  conduct  or  the  reverse 
had  been  observed,  the  mother  and  the  Sultan 
would  be  notified  verbally.  Rigid  orders  had  been 
given  by  our  father  that  we  were  to  be  thoroughly 
punished  for  such  delinquencies  as  we  might  com- 
mit. Viewing  our  unruly  conduct,  the  mistress  had 
frequent  occasion  to  swing  that  detested  stick. 

Besides  reading  and  writing  a  little  ciphering 
was  taught;  mental  arithmetic  involved  numbers 
up  to  one  hundred,  while  on  paper  one  thousand 
was  the  limit.  Anything  beyond  these  figures 
was  regarded  as  pernicious.  Not  much  pains  are 
bestowed  on  grammar  and  orthography.  As  for 
history,  geography,  physics  and  mathematics,  I 
never  heard  of  them  at  home, and  not  until  I  came 
here  did  I  get  acquaintance  with  these  branches 
of  study.  But  whether  I  am  really  any  better  off 
for  my  small  amount  of  learning,  which  I  labori- 
ously obtained  here  by  dint  of  untiring  industry, 
than  my  friends  in  Africa,  still  remains  an  open 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  79 

question  to  me.  I  can  say  with  full  veracity, 
though,  that  I  was  never  so  egregiously  hum- 
bugged and  brow-beaten  as  after  acquiring  the 
most  valuable  treasures  of  European  knowledge. 
Oh,  you  happy  souls  over  there,  you  cannot  even 
dream  of  what  may  be  done  in  the  exalted  name  of 
civilisation! 

Of  course  the  whole  plan  of  our  schooling  for- 
bade anything  like  preparation  after  hours.  How- 
ever much  the  mistress  may  be  feared,  she  is 
highly  respected  by  her  pupils,  who  all  their  lives 
treat  her  with  consideration  and  esteem.  She 
indeed  is  occasionally  called  upon  to  act  as  media- 
tor between  persons  unable  to  agree  on  some  point, 
thus  fulfilling  an  office  here  entrusted  by  Catholics 
to  their  spiritual  shepherd.  But  one  thing  Orien- 
tal scholars  have  in  common  with  Western.  I 
mean  the  natural  instinct  to  bribe  their  teachers 
with  presents.  When  my  children  in  Germany 
begged  me  for  a  trifle  to  buy  flowers  for  Miss  So- 
and-So,  I  could  not  help  recalling  my  own  youth. 
This  trait  is  not  peculiar  to  any  one  nation,  but 
may  be  found  all  the  world  over.  Before  I  ever 
knew  there  was  such  a  place  as  Germany  I  used 
to  offer  my  instructress — as  the  rest  did  too — 
numerous  sweetmeats,  in  order  to  curry  favour 
with  her;  the  most  delicious  French  bonbons  our 
father  gave  us  would  we  attempt  to  sacrifice  upon 
the  altar  of  propitiation.  Unfortunately,  the 
object  of  our  assiduities  was  a  victim  to  tooth- 


8o  MEMOIRS  OF 

ache,  and  therefore  rather  cold  toward  our  diplo- 
macy, her  idea  being  that  by  feeding  her  on  sweets 
we  hoped  to  make  her  toothache  so  bad  that  she 
would  be  obliged  to  give  us  a  holiday. 

The  length  of  the  course  was  quite  uncertain. 
Whatever  was  to  be  learnt  had  to  be  learnt,  and 
it  depended  on  your  own  abilities  whether  you 
finished  in  one,  two,  or  three  years.  Needlework 
formed  no  part  of  the  curriculum,  but  was  left  to 
the  mothers,  who  were  usually  expert  in  its  prac- 
tice. Still,  I  have  known  some  of  my  sisters  to 
grow  up  unable  to  sew  on  a  button.  Public 
schools  exist  too,  though  only  for  poor  people's 
children.  Everyone  who  can  afford  it  keeps  a 
governess  or  tutor.  Sometimes  the  teaching  de- 
volves upon  the  secretary  to  the  head  of  the  family, 
but  of  course  he  would  have  charge  of  the  girls 
only  while  they  were  extremely  young. 

It  is  inevitable  that,  having  been  brought  up 
where  I  was,  I  should  make  comparisons  with  the 
European  system,  of  which  my  children  enjoyed 
the  privileges.  There  certainly  is  a  great  dis- 
parity between  German  over-education  and  Ara- 
bian ignorance;  too  much  is  exacted  on  the  one 
side,  too  little  demanded  on  the  other.  But  I 
suppose  such  sharp  differences  will  never  cease, 
but  will  persist  to  the  end  of  the  world,  as  no  race 
appears  capable  of  settling  upon  a  golden  mean. 
Here,  at  all  events,  the  children  have  their  minds 
stuffed  with  a  great  deal  more  than  they  can 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  81 

possibly  absorb.  Their  schooldays  once  begun, 
the  parents  see  very  little  of  them.  Owing  to  the 
sundry  tasks  that  have  to  be  prepared  for  next 
day,  true  family  life  is  out  of  the  question,  and 
with  this  loss  a  steady,  telling  influence  upon  the 
juvenile  character  must  in  many  cases  be  forfeited. 
All  day  long  it  is  not  living,  but  hurry  and  scramble, 
scramble  and  hurry,  from  one  lesson  to  another. 
What  a  lot  of  time  they  waste,  too,  in  arduously 
gaining  facts  destined  to  prove  utterly  useless, 
inasmuch  as  they  seem  to  be  imparted  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  being  forgotten!  How  approve  a 
method  by  which  the  young  are  robbed  of  time 
that  were  much  better  spent  at  home? 

Besides,  the  poor  things  are  confined  every  day 
for  five  or  more  hours  in  a  prison-like  space  called 
"schoolroom,"  hot  and  stuffy  beyond  description. 
Four  tumblers  to  drink  water  out  of  allowed  by  an 
institution  harbouring  two  hundred  children! 
Would  this  not  disgust  a  mother  who  wanted  to 
kiss  her  child  upon  its  return  from  that  place? 
And  why  express  surprise  if  under  such  conditions 
the  little  ones  fall  ill?  Do  for  them  what  one  may 
at  home  to  keep  them  in  health,  the  foul  air  of  the 
schoolhouse  must  frustrate  all  one's  efforts.  How 
wretched  many  of  the  scholars  look  in  this 
country,  and  how  your  heart  bleeds  for  their 
deplorable  state!  Give  me  that  open,  airy  veranda 
of  ours.  What  profits  the  highest  education  so 
the  body  be  ruined  in  the  struggle  to  possess  it  ? 


82  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  notice  little  here  of  that  respect  which  we  all, 
my  brothers,  sisters,  and  self,  accorded  to  our 
parents  and  teachers,  in  fact,  to  age  generally. 
Neither  does  the  religious  instruction  given  at  the 
schools  seem  to  be  as  effective  as  it  ought,  and 
no  wonder,  since  it  takes  a  purely  mechanical  form ; 
endless  lists  of  dates  pertaining  to  ecclesiastical 
history  are  the  children  compelled  to  learn  by 
heart,  instead  of  being  urged  to  observe  a  regular 
attendance  at  church,  where  a  good  sermon  would 
inspire  them  far  more  than  those  barren  historical 
facts.  We  had  to  memorise  lessons  too,  but  not 
to  the  entire  neglect  of  the  soul,  which  here  suffers 
at  the  expense  of  the  brain.  Book-learning  is 
overdone  here — that  is  my  opinion.  Everybody 
wants  to  rise  up  and  up  so  high  through  education 
that  finally  manual  labour  becomes  a  disgrace; 
too  much  importance  is  attached  to  knowledge  and 
culture.  Therefore  it  is  not  surprising  if  deference, 
honesty,  piety,  and  contentment  yield  to  appall- 
ing ungodliness,  scorn  for  everything  sacred  and 
established,  and  the  unscrupulous  pursuit  of 
worldly  advantages.  With  their  outward  edu- 
cation people's  necessities  increase,  and  their 
demands  upon  life,  hence  the  severity  and  the 
bitterness  of  competition  among  them.  Yes,  the 
mind  is  cultivated,  to  be  sure,  but  the  heart  is  left 
unbilled .  One  should  study  the  word  of  God  and 
His  holy  commandments  first,  speculating  upon 
" force  and  matter"  last. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  83 

I  was  once  dismayed  to  see  by  a  statistical  table 
of  lunacy  that  the  great  majority  of  these  unfor- 
tunates were  recruited  from  former  students  at 
gymnasia  and  prominent  institutions  of  learning. 
Undoubtedly,  many  had  fallen  into  idiocy  as 
victims  of  their  ambitions  striving  after  a  fine 
education.  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  my  own 
country,  where  no  lunatic  asylums  are  wanted, 
and  where  I  never  heard  of  any  maniacs  but 
two,  one  a  Negress  and  the  other  a  woman  from 
India. 

European  culture  offends  the  Mahometan's  re- 
ligious views  in  countless  ways.  They  often 
ridicule  the  Turkish  half -education,  yet  the  Turks 
have  done  more  than  is  good  for  them  to  become 
civilised,  if  only  superficially.  The  Turks  have 
weakened  themselves  by  those  endeavours,  in 
spite  of  which  they  have  still  remained  uncivilised, 
because  European  civilisation  contradicts  and 
opposes  all  their  fundamental  axioms.  You  cannot 
produce  civilisation  by  force,  and  you  should  allow 
other  nations  the  right  to  follow  their  own  ideas 
and  traditions — which  must  have  developed  as 
the  result  of  mature  experience  and  practical 
wisdom — in  seeking  enlightenment  after  their  own 
fashion.  A  pious  Arab  would  feel  deeply  af- 
fronted were  one  to  attempt  beginning  his  illumina- 
tion by  inculcating  science,  without  which  there 
can  be  no  question  of  higher  culture  in  Europe. 
It  would  give  him  a  terrible  shock,  it  would  con- 


84  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

vulse  his  mentality,  if  one  spoke  to  him  of  "  natural 
laws,"  to  him  who,  in  the  whole  life  of  the  universe, 
down  to  the  smallest  details,  through  the  eyes  of 
his  immutable  faith  sees  only  one  thing — the 
all-guiding,  all-governing  hand  of  God! 


CHAPTER  VIII 
FEMALE  FASHIONS 

YEARLY  DISTRIBUTION  OF  CLOTHING  MATERIALS — 
SIMPLE  WANTS  OF  ARABIAN  WOMEN — THE 
SHALE — THE  RAINY  SEASON 

HERE,  and  in  Europe  generally,  the  father  of  a 
family  gives  his  wife  and  unmarried  daughters 
an  allowance  of  so  much  per  month  or  quarter, 
and  there  his  responsibilities  end,  so  far  as  con- 
cerns their  clothing.  But  a  totally  different  state 
of  affairs  prevails  in  Zanzibar.  We  have  no 
industries  there,  and  consequently  not  a  single 
factory.  Wearing  material  and  apparel  are  im- 
ported from  abroad  for  the  whole  population. 

My  father  maintained  an  elaborate  system  of 
barter,  owing  to  this  circumstance.  Once  a  year 
a  fleet  of  his  sailing  vessels  laden  with  native  pro- 
ducts, especially  cloves  and  spices,  started  for 
British,  French,  Persian,  Indian,  and  Chinese 
ports,  by  means  of  our  agents  there  employed 
exchanging  the  home  commodities  for  foreign. 
The  captains  invariably  took  an  enormously  long 
list  of  articles  required;  most  of  which  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  clothes.  The  return  of  the  ships, 
was  of  course  awaited  most  eagerly  and  impatiently, 

85 


86  MEMOIRS  OF 

since  it  meant  not  merely  the  annual  division 
of  spoils,  but  the  opening,  as  it  were,  of  a  new 
season  in  fashions. 

For  us  children  those  ships  symbolised  delight- 
ful mystery,  as  they  brought  us  all  our  lovely 
toys  from  Europe.  Upon  the  fleet's  arrival  a 
day  would  soon  be  fixed  for  the  distribution  of  the 
goods  among  high  and  humble,  old  and  young. 
Twenty  or  thirty  boxes  were  full  of  playthings: 
horses,  carts,  dolls,  whips,  fishes  and  ducks  that 
followed  a  magnet,  musical  boxes  of  all  dimensions, 
concertinas,  flutes,  trumpets,  mock  guns,  and 
what  not.  If  we  were  displeased,  woe  to  the 
delinquent  captain;  he  was  a  plenipotentiary 
intrusted  with  full  powers  and  no  restrictions; 
he  sailed  under  the  one  specific  order  to  purchase 
the  best  regardless  of  expense. 

When  finally  the  division  was  enacted  at  Bet  il 
Mtoni  and  Bet  il  Sahel,  it  took  three  or  four  days 
to  get  everything  duly  apportioned  among  several 
hundred  persons.  Eunuchs  attended  to  the  un- 
packing and  sorting  out,  while  a  few  of  the  Sultan's 
elder  daughters  performed  the  allotment  proper. 
Jealousy,  envy,  and  malice  were  unfortunately 
more  conspicuous  on  this  happy  occasion  than  at 
any  other  time  of  the  year.  Materials  for  dress, 
whether  simple  or  costly,  were  only  distributed 
by  the  whole  piece,  and  one  was  free  to  change 
what  one  did  not  want  for  a  different  article  with 
somebody  else.  This  trafficking  might  occupy 


: 


Photograph  by  A.  C.  Gomes  &  Co.,  Zanzibar 

PICKING  CLOVES  FOR  EXPORT 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  87 

a  fortnight.  As  we  had  no  tables,  we  used  to 
cut  the  pieces  up  sitting  on  the  floor,  and  in  eagerly 
plying  the  scissors  a  lady  would  now  and  then 
rip  the  clothes  on  her  body. 

Musk,  amber,  attar  of  roses,  rose  water,  and 
other  perfumes  were  presented  to  us,  likewise 
saffron  (which  women  mix  with  various  ingredients 
to  put  in  their  hair),  silks  of  all  hues,  gold  and 
silver  thread  for  embroidering,  woven  gilt  buttons, 
in  short,  whatever  belonged  to  an  Arabian  lady's 
toilette.  And  then,  besides,  each  got  a  certain 
number  of  silver  dollars,  according  to  rank  and 
age.  But  an  extravagant  individual  would  some- 
times spend  more,  in  the  course  of  the  twelvemonth, 
than  she  had  received,  when  she  would  beg  father 
or  husband  for  an  additional  sum,  although  ap- 
peals of  this  kind  had  to  be  made  under  great 
secrecy,  undue  wastefulness  being  frowned  upon, 
and  moreover  certain  to  bring  down  a  lecture  on 
the  petitioner's  head.  As  every  household  in  the 
world,  so  ours  included  thrifty  characters  besides 
the  prodigals,  and  they  believed  one  should  not 
keep  slaves  merely  for  luxury's  sake,  but  should 
utilise  them  for  one's  substantial  benefit.  So 
they  had  their  slaves  trained  to  sundry  handit 
crafts,  such  as  carpentry  or  saddlery,  the  girls 
learning  sewing,  weaving,  millinery.  Of  course, 
this  proved  a  good  method  of  economy,  while 
those  who  neglected  the  practice  paid  out  their 
money  to  strangers,  and  often  failed  to  make  both 


88  MEMOIRS  OF 

ends  meet.  Slaves  thus  specially  fitted  for  a  trade 
were  thought  more  of  than  others,  and  if  liberated 
found  less  difficulty  in  sustaining  life.  In  Oman, 
where  people  keep  few  slaves,  they  are  all  taught 
some  regular  profession,  that  they  may  profitably 
serve  both  their  masters  and  themselves.  That 
accounted  for  many  slaves  being  sent  from  Zanzi- 
bar to  Oman,  to  get  training  there,  and  Negroes 
of  this  class  went  up  considerably  in  price. 

A  visitor  happening  to  be  with  us  at  the  afore- 
said period  of  distribution  would  receive  such 
share,  cash  included,  as  he  or  she  might  be  en- 
titled to  by  rank.  Whatever  was  left  from  the 
whole  consignment  the  Sultan  would  despatch 
to  his  kinsfolk  in  Oman. 

Perpetual  summer  reigning  at  the  equator, 
and  the  four  seasons  existing  in  name  only,  this 
decidedly  simplified  one's  yearly  outfit.  To  have 
provided  against  autumn,  winter,  and  spring  into 
the  bargain  would  have  entailed  redoubtable  com- 
plications. The  rainy  season,  which  lasts  six  or 
eight  weeks,  and  during  which  the  mercury  sinks 
to  eighteen  degrees  Reaumur  (about  seventy- 
two  Fahrenheit) ,  is  all  the  winter  that  region  ever 
knows.  Damp  rather  than  cold,  the  weather 
just  now  mentioned  saw  us  in  velvet  and  other 
heavy  stuffs,  and  instead  of  waiting  for  the  nine 
o'clock  breakfast  we  then  took  tea  with  biscuits 
an  hour  or  two  before. 

All  wearing  apparel  was  made  by  hand;  sewing 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  89 

machines  had  not  been  heard  of  in  my  youth. 
The  garments  are  cut  quite  plainly,  the  same  way 
for  either  sex.  Lacing,  that  injurious,  abominable 
habit,  is  one  to  which  the  Oriental  female  has  not 
yet  succumbed.  Styles  never  vary,  but  only 
materials,  so  that  a  European  would  complain 
of  monotony;  nevertheless,  in  Europe  the  con- 
tinued changes  of  fashion  cause  family  quarrels 
and  ugly  scenes  owing  to  the  great  expense  in- 
volved. Not  that  I  would  presume  to  reform 
this  fashion  craze,  nor  that  I  would  wish  to  turn 
my  enlightened  European  friends  into  Philistines; 
but  I  merely  ask  permission  to  observe  that  the 
Arabian  women  are  far  less  extravagant.  They 
use  fewer  things,  and  dispense  with  a  winter  coat 
or  cloak,  another  for  spring,  a  waterproof  for 
summer,  a  host  of  dresses,  a  dozen  or  so  of  hats  (for 
some  ladies  need  one  hat  per  costume),  several 
sunshades  matching  hats  and  dresses,  etc.,  etc. 
Now,  the  gear  of  an  Arab  female,  no  matter 
what  her  station,  is  simplicity  itself.  She  wears 
a  shirt  reaching  to  the  ankles,  a  pair  of  long,  wide 
trousers  gathered  above  the  foot — not  short 
knickerbockers — and  a  kerchief  for  the  head. 
The  materials  vary.  Rich  women  prefer  gold 
brocades  in  many  devices,  velvet  or  silk  richly 
trimmed,  but  in  very  hot  weather  plain,  light 
calico  or  muslin  is  worn.  Shirt  and  trousers 
never  conform  as  to  pattern.  Neither  may  the 
shirt  be  too  long,  for  it  must  not  conceal  the  em- 


go  MEMOIRS  OF 

broidery  on  the  trousers  or  the  golden  anklets, 
from  one  of  which  are  suspended  numerous  little 
bell-shaped  pieces  of  gold  producing  an  agreeable 
tinkle  at  every  step.  From  the  headband,  which 
is  wound  about  the  forehead,  two  long  ribbons 
with  large  fringes  hang  together  over  the  back 
or  one  down  each  side.  The  silk  headkerchief 
proper  reaches  as  far  as  the  ankles. 

When  an  Arabian  lady  goes  out  she  dons 
her  shale,  representing  comforter,  jacket,  ulster, 
waterproof,  and  dustcoat  all  in  one.  It  is  a  large 
wrap  made  of  black  silk,  worked  round  the  edges 
with  gold  or  silver  designs  according  to  the  owner's 
prosperity  and  taste;  but  neither  a  rich  woman 
nor  a  poor  has  more  than  one  shale,  and  its  style 
never  alters.  My  humble  opinion  is  that  an 
Oriental,  with  all  her  leisure,  and  her  inactivity 
enforced  through  the  heat,  has  a  better  excuse  to 
devote  much  interest  to  her  clothes  than  the 
bright,  busy  European,  and  I  must  say  it  baffles 
me  how  such  clever  people,  with  such  high  men- 
tal development,  can  absorb  themselves  so 
completely  in  trivialities  of  that  kind. 

During  the  rainy  season  the  well-to-do  put  on 
a  djocha,  a  sort  of  long  cape  coming  down  to  the 
feet,  and  richly  embroidered  in  gilt.  This  is 
worn,  indoors,  over  everything  else;  open  from 
top  to  bottom,  the  djocha  is  held  together  at  the 
chest  by  means  of  metal  clasps.  Elderly  ladies 
prefer  a  thick  Persian  shawl. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  91 

However,  we  were  prepared  for  all  contingencies 
in  the  possession  of  a  very  convenient  heating  ap- 
paratus. A  brass  tripod  standing  a  few  inches 
above  the  floor  was  filled  with  glowing  charcoal, 
and  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  diffusing  an 
agreeable  warmth.  This,  too,  was  the  season  of 
the  maize  harvest.  The  cobs  are  peeled,  and  put 
on  the  tripod  to  roast,  so  that  they  become  eatable 
in  about  five  minutes.  Meanwhile  the  grains 
would  continually  be  going  "pop!" — a  fine  diver- 
sion for  us  children.  Despite  the  miniature  stove, 
doors  and  windows  were  as  a  rule  left  open. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  SULTAN'S  VOYAGE  TO  OMAN 
PERSIAN  HOSTILITY  IN  ASIA — PROVISIONING  THE 

SHIPS — RELATIVES  IN  OMAN — DIFFICULTIES  OF 
CORRESPONDING  WITH  THEM — THE  DEPARTURE 
— KHALED  REPRESENTS  SEYYID  SAID — CHOLE 
AS  LADY  SUPERINTENDENT — THE  SULTAN'S 
STRANGELY  PROLONGED  ABSENCE  —  RESORT 
TO  PROFESSIONAL  SEERS — SOOTHSAYING  BY 
VENTRILOQUISM 

WHEN  I  was  about  nine  years  old,  the  Sultan 
took  a  journey  to  Oman,  as  he  was  in  the  habit 
of  doing  at  intervals  of  three  of  four  years,  to 
regulate  the  government  of  his  Asiatic  realm. 
My  modest  brother  Tueni  had  been  representing  him 
at  Muscat,  both  as  ruler  and  as  head  of  the  family. 
On  the  present  occasion  my  father's  reasons  for 
visiting  Oman  included  one  that  was  particularly 
urgent.  The  Persians  had  several  times  invaded 
the  region  of  Bender  Abbas,  without  very  serious 
results,  it  is  true,  but  yet  not  without  the  pos- 
sibility of  generating  a  war.  Originally  Persian, 
this  small  territory  of  ours,  important  enough 
through  its  commanding  position  at  the  entrance 
to  the  gulf,  never  brought  my  father  any  real 

advantage,  but  on  the  contrary,  rich  harvests  of 

92 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  93 

trouble  and  expense.  So  that  its  eventual  recap- 
ture proved  no  misfortune ;  while  the  tract  was  in 
our  possession  the  Persians  left  us  not  a  moment 
free  from  anxiety,  for  which,  after  all,  they  could 
scarcely  be  blamed. 

Having  no  steamers,  but  only  sailing  vessels  to 
dispose  of,  we  depended  altogether  on  the  caprices 
of  the  wind,  and  voyages  from  Zanzibar  therefore 
frequently  suffered  postponement.  The  prepa- 
rations consumed  at  least  eight  or  ten  weeks,  since 
food  had  to  be  provided  to-  meet  the  needs  of  a 
thousand  people  for  a  similar  period.  It  took  an 
immense  time  to  bake  the  durable  pastry  that 
was  required.  Pickled  meats  were  foreign  to  us, 
and  preserves,  even  had  we  had  any,  would  have 
been  forbidden  as  unclean  by  our  religion;  hence 
a  stupendous  number  of  live  cattle  were  taken  on 
board,  among  them  perhaps  a  dozen  milch  cows. 
The  quantities  of  fruit  enshipped  defies  my  calcula- 
tion, but  I  know  that  all  our  forty-five  plantations 
kept  sending  fruit  for  days.  Small  wonder  if 
dysentery  broke  out  on  these  voyages. 

Any  of  the  sons  might  go,  but  only  a  few  of  the 
daughters,  because  of  the  inconvenience,  for  which 
reason  no  more  than  a  couple  of  the  secondary 
wives  could  embark.  Not  many  of  us,  in  fact, 
cared  to  visit  Oman,  whose  conceited  women 
liked  to  treat  natives  of  Zanzibar  as  inferiors. 
Members  of  our  family  born  in  Oman  would 
exhibit  this  attitude  toward  their  Zanzibar  re- 


94  MEMOIRS  OF 

lations,  assuming  that  we  must  resemble  Negroes 
from  having  been  brought  up  among  them.  Our 
most  obvious  patent  of  degradation  was  our 
speaking  another  language  besides  Arabic. 

As  I  mentioned  before,  we  had  needy  connections 
living  in  Oman,  to  whom  a  visit  by  the  Sultan 
meant  the  arrival  of  gifts,  and  this  expectation 
caused  a  further  increase  of  the  luggage.  His 
journey  would  also  revive  our  slim,  infrequent 
correspondence  with  Asia.  Ignorance  of  writing, 
however  proved  a  serious  difficulty  in  many  cases. 
Your  letters  had  to  be  written  for  you  by  someone 
else,  and  then  strangers  would  read  them  to  their 
recipients.  My  brothers  and  the  male  servants 
who  had  acquired  penmanship  were  besieged,  and 
if  they  refused  you  had  no  choice  but  to  ask  some- 
body outside  the  house.  The  following  is  an 
example  of  the  sort  of  thing  that  might  happen: 

A  lady  summons  her  confidential  slave,  and 
says  to  him:  "Now,  Feruz,  go  to  such  and  such 
a  cadi;  tell  him  to  write  a  fine  letter  to  my  friend  in 
Oman,  and  pay  him  anything  he  asks."  Feruz  is 
then  given  copious  details,  all  of  these  to  be  em- 
bodied in  the  letter.  Unfortunately  the  cadi  is 
pressed  and  importuned  by  a  dozen  other  would-be 
correspondents  at  the  same  time,  so  that  he  mixes 
up  his  commissions.  Feruz  returns  triumphantly 
to  his  mistress  with  the  cadi's  effort,  but  the  lady 
is  cautious  enough  to  make  an  expert  read  it  out 
to  her.  Surprise  is  the  first  emotion  that  seizes 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  95 

her,  and  dismay  follows  quickly.  The  epistle 
is  conceived  wrong  in  every  respect;  where  the 
lady  intended  condolence  the  cadi  has  expressed 
congratulation  and  so  on.  Thus  a  letter  must  be 
written  several  times  over  by  sundry  individuals 
before  it  can  be  sent. 

At  last  all  was  ready  for  departure.  One  vessel 
was  reserved  for  my  father  and  members  of  his 
family ;  the  retinue  and  luggage  were  to  go  in  two 
or  three  other  ships.  The  number  of  travellers 
was  considerable  in  proportion  to  the  ships ;  still, 
the  Oriental  does  not  take  up  much  room:  he 
demands  no  separate  cabin,  but  when  night  falls 
he  selects  a  place  on  deck,  where  he  spreads  out 
his  mat.  The  Sultan's  suite  and  the  servants 
embarked  first;  early  in  the  morning  came  the 
women's  turn;  about  the  middle  of  the  day 
followed  Seyyid  Said  and  his  male  relations.  My 
brothers  Khaled  and  Majid,  I  recollect,  went  down 
to  the  shore  with  some  of  their  younger  brothers 
to  see  the  Sultan  off,  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns 
celebrating  the  start. 

A  hush  seemed  to  fall  on  the  house,  which  now 
felt  solitary — though  densely  populated — without 
its  head.  Khaled,  as  the  Sultan's  eldest  son  in 
Zanzibar,  was  to  represent  him  during  his  absence. 
He  came  to  our  house  several  times  a  week  to 
enquire  about  us,  and  went  to  Bet  il  Mtoni  as  often 
to  see  the  inmates,  and  to  consult  our  high  and 
mighty  stepmother,  Azze  bint  Sef . 


96  MEMOIRS  OF 

Khaled  was  a  strict  master:;  we  had  frequent 
cause  to  resent  his  severity. 

One  day  a  fire  broke  out  at  Bet  il  Sahel,  which 
was  fortunately  extinguished  without  delay.  But 
when  it  began,  and  we  all  ran  panic-stricken  to 
the  doors,  we  found  them  locked  and  guarded  by 
soldiers.  They  had  been  ordered  there  by  Khaled, 
who  wished  to  prevent  us  from  exposing  ourselves 
to  the  popular  gaze  in  broad  daylight.  Another 
time  he  turned  a  distant  but  influential  connection 
out  of  a  mosque  for  having  dared  to  propose 
for  the  hand  of  one  of  his  sisters.  The  un- 
happy suitor  ventured  neither  into  Khaled's 
presence  again,  nor  into  the  mosque  where  he 
prayed.  Fate  ordained,  however,  that  after 
Khaled's  and  Seyyid  Said's  deaths  the  rejected 
one  was  to  marry  another  sister. 

For  the  period  of  his  absence  my  father  had 
nominated  Chole  as  lady  superintendent — if  I  may 
use  such  a  term — over  the  two  houses  Bet  il  Sahel 
and  Bet  il  Tani.  The  appointment  of  this  bright 
star  of  our  family  aroused  great  disapproval,  due 
to  envy,  of  course.  Her  kindness  of  heart  not- 
withstanding, she  was  unable  to  please  everybody, 
since  she  was  only  mortal  like  the  rest  of  us.  The 
impossible  was  expected  of  her,  the  limits  of  her 
delegated  power  being  ignored;  it  was  clearly 
not  her  fault  if  she  was  favoured  by  the  Sultan, 
but  envy  blinded  intelligence. 

Meanwhile  our  three-masters  sailed  to  and  fro 


- 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  97 

between  Oman  and  Zanzibar,  so  that  we  often 
received  news  and  gifts  from  the  Sultan.  The 
arrival  of  a  ship  naturally  occasioned  great  joy; 
the  excitement,  the  tumult,  and  the  wild  gesticula- 
ing  were  of  a  kind  to  be  seen  nowhere  but  in  the 
South.  Sad  to  relate,  Khaled  was  soon  taken  away 
by  the  Lord.  The  regency  was  transferred  to 
Majid,  who  was  entitled  to  it,  as  the  Sultan's  next 
son,  and  whose  amiable  disposition  had  won  all 
hearts. 

Finally  a  ship  came  in  from  Oman  with  the 
glad  tidings  that  the  Sultan  was  coming  back. 
The  news  spread  quickly,  and  the  whole  island 
was  overjoyed;  his  absence  having  lasted  over 
two  years,  my  father  had  been  greatly  missed. 
Whoever  did  not  feel  genuine  devotion  toward 
him  at  least  anticipated  his  return  with  pleasure 
on  account  of  the  presents  he  would  be  sure  to 
bring  old  and  young  in  Zanzibar.  Yet  after  the 
lapse  of  a  period  sufficient  to  allow  for  the  voyagers' 
arrival,  not  a  single  ship  had  heaved  in  sight. 
People  grew  alarmed  both  in  town  and  country. 
Now,  the  Arab  is  addicted  to  questioning  so- 
called  " seers"  about  the  hidden  future,  and  in 
Zanzibar  as  well  as  among  the  Suahilis  this  abuse 
runs  riot.  Gipsies  might  learn  a  lot  from  their 
Suahili  brethren;  they  practise  an  appalling 
amount  of  deception  which,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
met  with  astonishing  credulity.  Any  means  of 
gaining  an  explanation  as  to  the  Sultan's 


98  MEMOIRS  OF 

protracted  journey  were  considered  legitimate, 
and  thus  the  talented  individuals  I  have  mentioned 
came  down  upon  us  by  the  score.  They  were 
fetched  from  all  parts  of  the  island,  even  the 
remotest;  if  they  happened  to  be  very  old,  they 
were  brought  in  on  donkeys. 

Of  the  most  remarkable  of  these  prophetesses 
it  was  said  that  she,  or  rather  her  yet  unborn  child, 
could  forecast  future  events,  and  this  unparalleled 
monstrosity  was  accordingly  sent  for.  I  remember 
the  day  she  appeared  quite  distinctly.  Her 
stoutness  was  abnormal.  The  child  that  she 
professed  to  have  been  carrying  about  in  her  womb 
for  years  was  a  wonder  of  omniscience:  nothing 
that  occurred  on  the  heights  of  the  mountains  or  in 
the  depths  of  the  seas  was  concealed  from  it. 
Some  asked  it  how  the  Sultan  was  faring,  and  why 
his  voyage  was  taking  so  long.  The  reply  came  in 
a  small,  piping  voice,  plainly.  Several  three- 
masters,  the  creature  proclaimed,  were  on  the 
ocean,  steering  for  Zanzibar.  It  would  light  upon 
the  Sultan's  ship,  it  said,  to  ascertain  what  was 
doing  there.  And  in  a  little  while  it  gave  a  de- 
tailed account  of  everyone's  particular  activity  at 
that  moment.  Then  it  commanded  a  liberal 
sacrifice  to  propitiate  the  spirits  of  the  water,  that 
they  might  watch  over  the  travellers  and  keep 
them  from  harm. 

Of  course  the  prodigy  was  obeyed  to  the 
letter;  for  several  days  professional  beggars — our 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  99 

beautiful  island  harbours  legions  of  them — revelled 
in  the  meat,  poultry,  and  rice  dealt  out  to  them,  to 
say  nothing  of  clothes  and  money.  We  eventually 
discovered,  to  our  intense  disgust,  that  we  had 
been  victimised  by  a  ventriloquist.  We  had  all 
believed  in  the  marvellous  child,  with  its  capacity 
to  disclose  the  unseen,  to  reveal  secrets  hidden 
from  the  human  eye.  But  at  the  time  none  of  us 
suspected  ventriloquism,  because  we  had  up  till 
then  never  heard  of  such  a  thing.  The  occult 
and  the  mysterious  attract  the  natives  of  Zanzibar 
irresistibly;  the  less  comprehensible  a  circum- 
stance, the  more  probable  its  reality.  Every- 
body believes  in  invisible  spirits,  good  and  evil. 
The  room  in  which  a  person  has  died  is  thoroughly 
fumigated  with  incense  for  days,  and  since  the 
soul  of  the  departed  is  supposed  to  be  fond  of 
visiting  the  erstwhile  sick-chamber,  that  place 
is  studiously  avoided,  especially  at  night,  when 
no  one  could  be  induced  to  go  there  at  any 
price. 

Superstition  reigns  supreme.  Illness,  betrothal, 
pregnancy,  and  all  sorts  of  reasons  are  given  for 
summoning  seers.  They  are  asked  if  a  disease 
be  curable,  and  how  long  it  is  likely  to  last; 
whether  a  betrothal  will  be  smiled  upon  by  fortune ; 
whether  a  boy  or  a  girl  may  be  expected — and  so 
forth.  In  the  event  of  her  prediction  turning  out 
wrong,  which  happens  quite  frequently,  the 
prophetess  always  musters  a  plausible  excuse. 


ioo  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

The  day  was  an  unlucky  one  for  her,  she  alleges, 
and  no  doubt  she  will  do  better  next  time.  Which 
goes  down  beautifully!  The  trade  is  so  profitable 
that  whoever  engages  in  it  may  soon  hope  to  be- 
come a  made  man — or  rather,  a  made  woman. 


CHAPTER  X 

DEATH  OF  SEYYID  SAID 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  SULTAN'S  RETURN — MAJID 

SETS  OUT  TO  MEET  HIM — THE  PALACE  SUR- 
ROUNDED BY  ORDER  OF  BARGASH — WHO  WANTS 
TO  USURP  THE  THRONE — ARRIVAL  OF  THE 
SULTAN'S  DEAD  BODY — MAJID'S  RETURN — 
COURT  MOURNING — MAJID'S  IRREGULAR  SUC- 
CESSION— SEVERANCE  OF  ZANZIBAR  FROM  OMAN 
— DIVISION  OF  SEYYID  SAID'S  PROPERTY 

DAYS  and  weeks  went  by,  and  the  Sultan  did 
not  arrive.  One  afternoon,  at  length,  while  some 
were  still  at  prayer,  the  good  news  was  reported 
that  a  fisherman  had  descried  several  ships  flying 
our  national  flag,  although  owing  to  the  rough 
weather  he  had  not  ventured  out  very  far.  Of 
course  this  must  be  the  Sultan  returning!  So  all 
threw  themseves  into  their  best  finery,  long  held 
in  readiness  for  the  joyous  event. 

While  we  made  the  fisherman  repeat  his  state- 
ments over  and  again,  and  swear  as  many  times 
to  their  veracity,  a  mounted  messenger  was 
despatched  to  our  stepmother  at  Bet  il  Mtoni. 
In  the  courtyard  commenced  butchering  and 
boiling  and  baking,  the  apartments  were  sprinkled 
with  perfumes,  and  everything  was  arranged  to 


102  MEMOIRS  OF 

look  perfect.  According  to  the  fisherman's  ver- 
sion, the  vessels  were  due  in  a  couple  of  hours. 
Majid  hastened,  with  an  escort,  to  meet  his  father. 
They  went  in  two  cutters,  fighting  the  storm 
which  threatened  their  destruction,  and  expecting 
to  be  in  our  midst  again  that  evening  accom- 
panied by  Seyyid  Said. 

Night  fell,  and  not  a  ship  was  seen.  The  town, 
and  especially  our  house,  began  to  show  dis- 
quietude, then  loud  alarm.  It  was  supposed  that 
Majid  and  his  escort  had  perished  in  the  tempest, 
but  this  apprehension  grew  into  a  fear  that  the 
whole  fleet  had  sunk  to  the  bottom.  Presenti- 
ments were  exchanged  against  surmises,  and  vice 
versa,  while  nobody,  down  to  the  infants,  would 
go  to  bed  without  learning  of  the  travellers'  safe 
landing. 

Suddenly  a  rumour  sprung  up  which  at  first 
obtained  no  credence,  to  the  effect  that  the  palace 
was  surrounded  and  guarded  by  soldiers.  We 
all  rushed  to  the  windows  to  ascertain  the  truth. 
The  night  was  dark  as  pitch,  but  you  could  occa- 
sionally see  the  barrel  of  a  gun  glisten,  which  sight 
was  not  exactly  soothing  in  its  effect  upon  a  lot 
of  nervous  women  and  frightened  children.  Be- 
sides, we  were  given  to  understand  that  the  soldiers 
had  established  a  blockade  of  the  house  allowing 
neither  entrance  not  departure.  What  had  hap- 
pened, and  why  we  had  been  shut  up,  everybody 
was  clamouring  to  know,  but  uppermost  was  the 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  103 

question  as  to  who  had  originated  these  proceed- 
ings. Majid,  so  far  as  we  knew,  was  not  back; 
moreover,  people  were  hastening  to  and  fro  un- 
easily in  his  house,  which  was  guarded  like  ours. 

As  the  eunuchs  and  all  male  slaves  slept  out- 
side our  residence,  the  women  and  children  were 
the  more  terrified.  A  few  of  the  bravest  women 
betook  themselves  to  the  hall  on  the  ground  floor, 
where  they  could  speak  to  the  soldiers  through 
the  windows.  The  troops  however  proved  obdu- 
rate, abiding  by  their  instructions  to  give  no  in- 
formation ;  in  fact  they  went  so  far  as  to  threaten 
to  shoot  the  noisiest  servants.  Weeping  lamenta- 
tions accused  an  evil  demon;  children  screamed, 
and  could  not  be  quieted;  pious  souls  prayed  to 
the  Almighty.  In  short,  the  scene  was  indescrib- 
able, and  one  suddenly  transplanted  amid  the 
horrible  confusion  of  that  dreadful  night  must 
have  thought  himself  in  a  lunatic  asylum. 

Morning  dawned,  and  still  we  were  left  in 
ignorance  as  to  why  we  had  been  imprisoned; 
nor  did  we  hear  anything  of  Majid.  But  as  we 
were  dispersing,  at  the  regular  hour  for  prayer, 
someone  exclaimed  that  the  fleet  lay  anchored 
in  the  harbour  with  mourning  flags  displayed. 
Then  our  brothers  came — without  the  Sultan. 
And  then  we  understood  what  the  mourning  on 
the  ships  signified,  and  what  an  irreparable  loss 
the  nation  had  sustained;  for  during  the  voyage 
from  Oman  to  Zanzibar  that  faithful  servant  of 


io4  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  Lord  had  been  called  to  the  eternal  rest.  The 
bullet  wound  in  his  leg,  that  had  tormented  him 
so  long,  had  done  its  fatal  work.  Not  only  was 
the  deceased  the  devoted  father  of  his  family 
and  people,  but  the  most  conscientious  of  rulers, 
How  generally  he  was  loved  was  shown  at  his 
death,  when  every  house,  down  to  the  humblest 
cottage,  exhibited  a  black  flag. 

Bargash,  who  had  travelled  in  our  father's 
vessel,  and  had  witnessed  his  death,  gave  us  the 
sad  particulars.  We  owed  thanks  to  Bargash 
for  saving  the  precious  corpse  from  burial  in  the 
ocean,  which  would  have  conformed  with  the 
Mahometan  religion;  he  had  insisted  upon  bring- 
ing the  body  back  to  Zanzibar,  in  fact,  ordering 
a  sort  of  coffin  to  be  made  on  board  for  its  preserva- 
tion. Though  actuated  by  profound  sentiments 
toward  his  father,  he  here  commit ed  a  grave 
offence  against  our  religious  doctrines  and  cus- 
toms. We  do  not  acknowledge  the  use  of  coffins, 
we  believe  that  everybody,  prince  and  pauper 
alike,  ought  to  go  back  in  a  natural  state  to  the 
earth  whence  he  came. 

Now  we  discovered,  too,  why  we  had  been  so 
carefully  guarded  the  night  before.  Majid,  in 
his  frail  little  craft,  had  been  driven  hither  and 
thither  by  the  storm,  and  had  so  missed  Bargash, 
who — in  command  of  the  fleet  as  the  Sultan's 
senior  survivor  at  sea — had  landed  the  corpse 
unobserved  in  order  to  bury  it  secretly  in  our 


SEYYID  BARGASH 
Ruled  from  1870  to  1888 


Copyright  by  Maull  &  Fox,  London 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  105 

cemetery.  Tradition  orders  that  in  case  of  a 
dispute  about  the  succession,  the  matter  shall  be 
settled  publicly  in  the  presence  of  the  deceased. 
Bargash,  however,  desired  to  seize  the  reins  of 
power  himself;  he  knew  that  if  the  prescribed 
ceremonial  debate  took  place,  his  elder  brother 
Majid  would  prove  a  universal  favourite,  and  there- 
fore concluded  to  forestall  any  such  result.  So, 
directly  after  landing  he  had  caused  the  two 
houses  to  be  surrounded.  His  scheme  failed 
because  he  did  not  catch  Majid,  who  had  not  yet 
returned.  Bargash  subsequently  tried  to  justify 
his  proceedings  on  the  ground  that  he  wanted  to 
avert  the  possibility  of  a  revolution. 

Majid  thus  became  ruler  of  Zanzibar,  pro- 
claiming himself  Sultan  that  very  day.  The 
rest  of  us  felt  uneasy  doubts  as  to  how  long 
Majid  would  keep  the  sovereignty;  for  our  eldest 
brother,  Tueni,  who  had  remained  in  Oman,  and 
was  entitled  to  the  throne,  might  come  to  take  it 
away  from  Majid  by  force. 

On  going  into  mourning  for  Seyyid  Said  we 
all  had  to  discard  our  fine  clothes,  and  put  on 
coarse  black  woollen  garments;  the  handsomely 
embroidered  veils  gave  way  to  veils  of  a  plain 
black  material.  Anointing  and  scenting  of  the 
person  was  stopped;  whoever  sprinkled  a  little 
rosewater  on  her  apparel,  to  counteract  the 
disagreeable  smell  of  the  indigo  dye,  was  denounced 
as  heartless  or  coquettish.  The  first  few  days 


io6  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  grown-up  people  slept  on  the  floor,  and  not 
in  bed,  in  order  to  show  their  regard  for  the  de- 
ceased, who  lay  on  the  hard  ground,  A  full 
fortnight  did  our  house  resemble  a  huge  hotel, 
while  anybody,  beggar  or  prince,  was  at  liberty 
to  come  and  eat  "ad  libitum.'*  In  obedience  to 
an  old  tradition,  the  Sultan's  favourite  dish 
especially  was  cooked  in  large  quantities,  and  put 
before  the  poor. 

The  wives  of  a  dead  Sultan,  principal  as  well 
as  secondary,  are  without  exception  obliged  to 
submit  to  a  period  of  religious  mourning,  which 
lasts  four  months.  These  unfortunates  must  spend 
the  whole  time  in  a  dark  room ;  they  must  never 
purposely  expose  themselves  to  the  light  of  day, 
let  alone  the  sunshine.  If  a  widow  is  for  some 
reason  compelled  to  leave  her  artificially  darkened 
room,  she  throws  a  heavy  black  cloth  over  her 
veil,  so  that  she  can  just  manage  to  grope  her  way. 
The  eyes  become  affected  by  this  confinement, 
and  some  caution  must  afterward  be  used  in  ac- 
customing them  to  the  light.  At  the  beginning, 
the  women  are  reminded  by  the  cadi,  that  is  to  say 
the  judge,  or  magistrate,  before  whom  they  of 
course  appear  densely  mufHed,  of  their  widow- 
hood in  certain  set  phrases.  When  the  four 
months  are  over  the  same  official  ends  their  rigid 
seclusion  by  other  verbal  formalities. 

At  this  date,  too,  my  father's  widows  had 
simultaneously  to  undergo  a  complete  washing, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  107 

from  head  to  foot.  Throughout  its  duration  a 
servant  stood  behind  each,  beating  a  pair  of  sword- 
blades  together  above  her  mistress's  head.  (In  the 
case  of  a  poor  man's  widow  a  pair  of  nails,  or  any- 
thing of  iron,  was  permissible. )  Owing  to  the  large 
number  of  wives  left  by  my  father,  this  ceremony 
could  not  be  accomplished  at  the  baths,  extensive 
though  they  were,  but  had  to  be  performed  on  the 
shore,  which  afforded  a  strange  and  animated 
spectacle.  The  widows  were  now  allowed  to 
change  their  costume,  and  to  consider  themselves 
eligible  for  remarriage.  Ordinarily  the  Sultan's 
wives  were  visible  at  home  to  all  their  male  rela- 
tions and  their  own  male  servants,  but  during 
the  four  months  no  men  except  their  brothers 
and  step-brothers  might  see  them. 

The  first  year  following  his  death,  some  of  us 
would  repair  to  Seyyid  Said's  grave  each  Thursday, 
the  eve  of  the  Mahometan  Sunday.  His  tomb 
was  a  rectangular  structure  covered  with  a  large 
cupola,  where  several  of  my  brothers  and  sisters 
reposed.  After  reciting  the  first  sura  of  the  Koran, 
and  then  other  prayers,  beseeching  the  Almighty 
to  forgive  the  departed  their  sins,  we  poured  attar 
of  roses  and  rosewater  upon  their  resting  places, 
which  we  also  scented  with  amber  and  musk, 
all  the  while  giving  vent  to  loud  lamentations 
over  our  loss.  Mahometans  believe  firmly  in  the 
immortality  of  the  soul;  they  likewise  believe  that 
the  spirits  of  the  dead  occasionally  visit  (unseen) 


io8  MEMOIRS  OF 

their  living  friends,  who  acknowledge  this  interest 
by  devotions  at  the  graves.  Briefly,  the  dead 
are  profoundly  revered;  when  a  Mahometan  of 
good  reputation  swears  by  the  head  or  the  name  of 
one  departed,  you  know  that  he  would  sooner 
perish  than  break  his  oath. 

A  ship  having  been  despatched  to  Oman  for 
the  purpose  of  announcing  the  sorrowful  calamity 
that  had  befallen  us,  my  brother  Muhammad, 
representing  all  my  brothers  and  sisters  in  Oman, 
arrived  at  Zanzibar  to  supervise  the  apportion- 
ment of  the  heritage.  Hardly  was  his  task  done, 
when  he  sped  back  to  Muscat  without  delay. 
Muhammad  was  accounted  the  most  pious  mem- 
ber of  our  whole  family;  from  his  youth  up  he 
had  sought  to  eschew  the  world  and  its  affairs. 
Hostile  to  riches  and  outward  show,  he  never 
enjoyed  his  position  as  prince.  The  more  dis- 
pleasing did  he  find  the  luxury  of  the  court  at 
Zanzibar,  particularly  as  Oman  knew  no  such 
splendours.  He  felt  positively  unhappy  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  magnificence,  whence  his  haste 
to  resume  his  wonted  simpler  life. 

The  question  of  succession  was  not  properly 
settled.  Majid,  who  reigned  in  our  island,  cared 
not  at  all  whether  Tueni,  who  assumed  rulership 
over  Oman,  acknowledged  him  as  Sultan  of  Zan- 
zibar, which  in  fact  Tueni  never  did.  Eventually 
a  sort  of  compromise  was  patched  up  through 
British  influence,  Majid  binding  himself  to  pay 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  109 

his  elder  brother  a  yearly  sum;  however  Majid 
only  kept  to  the  agreement  for  a  short  time, 
ceasing  the  payment  because  it  might  appear  as 
tribute  from  a  vassal.  Tueni  was  helpless;  he 
had  enough  to  contend  with  at  home,  and  was  far 
too  poor  to  assert  his  rights  against  the  prosperous 
lord  of  Zanzibar  by  means  of  an  armed  expedition. 
Sans  pact,  sans  treaty,  Zanzibar  and  Oman  parted 
company,  either  existing  thenceforth  as  an  in- 
dependent state.  On  the  other  hand,  Mu- 
hammad contrived  a  satisfactory  division  of  my 
father's  private  fortune  in  Zanzibar.  The  "  State," 
as  it  is  understood  by  Europeans,  means  nothing 
in  Zanzibar.  National  income  and  national  rev- 
enue being  unknown  there,  everything  levied  by 
way  of  imposts  was  my  father's  own  personal 
property.  Out  of  this  and  the  income  derived 
from  his  forty-five  plantations — he  was  the  prin- 
cipal landlord  of  the  island — he  fed  his  treasury 
and  met  expenses.  In  my  day,  at  least,  there 
was  neither  an  income  tax,  nor  a  ground  tax,  nor 
any  industrial  tax  of  the  kind  familiar  here. 

My  father's  whole  private  property,  then,  was 
divided  up,  even  the  warships  going  to  Tueni  and 
Majid  between  them.  The  Mahometan  law  favours 
the  sons  above  the  daughters  in  cases  of  legacies, 
for  the  reason  that  a  man  must  support  a  family, 
which  a  woman  is  not  obliged  to  do.  Each  of  my 
sisters  therefore  got  only  half  as  much  as  each 
brother.  My  brother  Ralub,  once  my  playmate 


no  MEMOIRS  OF 

at  Bet  il  Mtoni,  and  I  were  declared  of  age,  al- 
though neither  was  more  than  twelve.  This 
contradicted  the  usual  practice,  but  the  occasion 
brought  peculiar  changes.  Both  of  us  received 
our  part  in  the  inheritance,  and  so  became  emanci- 
pated citizens  of  twelve.  Our  younger  brothers 
and  sisters  and  their  share  remained  under  Majid's 
keeping  and  control. 

My  father's  will  ordered  his  childless  wives  to 
be  provided  for  until  they  died,  the  mothers  of 
his  children  getting  but  relatively  small  lump 
sums.  He  must  have  presumed  that  we  would 
take  care  of  our  mothers,  since  we  inherited 
vastly  more  than  they  did.  Nor  did  he  judge 
us  wrongly,  for  I  can  answer,  to  the  credit  and 
honour  of  all  my  brothers  and  sisters — thirty-six 
survived  my  father — that  not  one  abused  his 
tacit  confidence.  A  mother  is  a  mother,  whether 
born  princess  or  purchased  slave,  and  without 
regard  to  money  or  station  she  has  every  claim 
to  filial  attachment. 

Soon  after  the  legacy  was  disposed  of  our  once 
overpopulated  establishment  grew  lonely  and 
deserted,  at  any  rate  in  comparison  to  former 
days.  Many  of  my  brothers  and  sisters  left 
Bet  il  Sahel  with  their  mothers  and  slaves  of  both 
sexes  to  found  homes  of  their  own.  Chole,  Assha, 
and  Shewane  not  following  suit,  my  mother  and 
I  stayed  on  with  them  at  Bet  il  Tani.  At  Bet  il 
Mtoni  things  altered  too  in  a  similar  manner.  It 


ALI  BIN  HAMUD 
Present  Sultan  of  Zanzibar.     Acceded  in  1902 


Copyright  by  Elliott  &  Fry,  London 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  in 

was  indeed  right  that  some  of  us  who  now  had 
resources,  and  were  free  to  choose  our  own  mode 
of  life,  should  relieve  the  pressure  of  space  by 
surrendering  the  large  houses  to  our  younger 
brothers  and  sisters.  Of  the  junior  children,  their 
mothers,  and  their  servants,  Majid  took  charge, 
of  course  defraying  all  expenditure  from  their 
incomes. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  POSITION  OF  WOMAN  IN  THE  EAST 
UNHAPPY    WESTERN    MATCHES — SECLUSION    FROM 

THE  MALE  SEX — POLYGAMY  AND  MONOGAMY 

CONSIDERATION  TOWARD  WIVES — REDRESS 
AGAINST  HUSBANDS — DOMESTIC  PREROGATIVES 
OF  THE  WOMEN — THEIR  CHEERFULNESS — IM- 
PENETRABILITY OF  THE  HAREM — DIVORCE  EASY 
— EXAMPLES  DISPROVING  THE  "  INFERIORITY  " 
OF  ORIENTAL  WOMEN. 

I  PASS  on  to  write  about  the  position  of  woman 
in  the  East.  As  I  was  born  and  bred  there,  I 
shall  be  considered  a  partisan  and  shall  probably 
not  succeed  in  demolishing  the  erroneous  views 
prevailing  throughout  Europe,  and  especially 
among  Germans,  as  to  the  relations  between  an 
Arabian  wife  and  her  husband. 

When  first  I  came  to  Europe  I  too  made  the 
mistake  of  judging  by  outward  appearances. 
The  smiling  faces  I  saw  each  time  I  went  out  into 
company  persuaded  me  that  the  domestic  situa- 
tion in  Europe  was  more  conducive  to  happiness 
than  in  my  home.  But  later  on,  as  my  children 
grew  up,  and  needed  less  of  my  care  and  attention 
I  came  into  fuller  contact  with  the  world;  then  I 
recognised  that  I  had  been  mistaken,  that  people 

112 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  113 

and  things  were  other  than  they  seemed.  I 
observed  many  unions,  which  going  by  the  name 
of  wedlock,  had  the  apparent  purpose  of  subject- 
ing the  fettered  couples  to  infernal  torture  here 
on  earth.  And  I  have  seen  enough  wretched 
marriages  to  prevent  my  believing  that  the 
Christian  institution  stands  much  higher  than 
the  Mahometan,  or  insures  much  greater  felicity. 
Neither  a  religion,  nor  the  acceptance  of  tra- 
ditional views  can  guarantee  wedded  bliss;  every- 
thing depends  on  how  well  husband  and  wife 
understand  one  another.  This  alone  can  bring 
the  peace  and  harmony  which  render  marriage 
really  delightful.  I  am  minutely  familiar  only 
with  conditions  in  Zanzibar,  though  almost  equally 
so  with  those  of  Oman.  Yet  precisely  in  Arabia 
and  among  the  Arabs  has  Mahometanism  been 
maintained  in  its  purest  form,  and  I  may  there- 
fore claim  to  speak  for  the  Mahometan  Orient 
generally — leaving  aside  those  parts  of  it  tainted 
by  excrescences  arising  from  close  intercourse 
with  the  Christian  Occident. 

To  commence  with:  it  is  wrong  to  suppose  that 
the  Eastern  woman  enjoys  less  social  respect  than 
her  husband.  A  man's  principal  wife — the  bought 
secondary  wives  are  of  course  not  under  discussion 
— is  the  husband's  equal  in  every  way,  keeping 
her  rank  and  its  attendant  rights  and  privileges. 
What  makes  the  Arabian  woman  appear  helpless 
and  to  some  extent  restricted  in  her  freedom  is  the 


ii4  MEMOIRS  OF 

circumstance  of  her  leading  a  retired  life.  This 
she  does  in  all  Mahometan  countries  of  the  East, 
and  in  some  that  are  not  Mahometan,  and  the 
loftier  her  station  the  stricter  the  rule.  Her  face 
may  be  seen  by  no  men  excepting  father,  husband, 
sons,  uncles,  nephews,  and  her  own  slaves;  if 
she  is  to  go  into  the  presence  of  a  strange  man,  or 
to  speak  with  one,  the  faith  ordains  that  she  be 
veiled  and  covered  up.  Part  of  the  visage,  chin, 
neck,  and  ankles  must  be  concealed.  Obedient 
to  this  law,  she  may  move  about  as  she  pleases, 
and  frequent  the  streets.  Females  of  small  means, 
who  have  few  servants  or  none,  are  obliged  to  go 
out  frequently,  and  they  thus  have  more  liberty. 
If  you  ask  such  a  woman  her  opinion  she  says  those 
laws  were  not  made  for  poor  people.  And  I  must 
avow  that  ladies  of  position  are  known  to  envy 
poorer  women  this  advantage,  which  accrues  to 
those  of  Oman  because  they  cannot  keep  many 
servants  in  their  unprosperous  country. 

However,  the  rich  woman  may  go  out  in  the 
daytime.  Should  a  relative  fall  ill  or  die  she  may 
go  to  the  house,  or  she  may  appear  before  a  judge 
to  represent  her  own  interests,  as  there  are  no 
attorneys.  But  tradition  ordains  that  she  make 
no  use  of  this  privilege  except  under  urgent 
necessity;  inclination  seconds  tradition,  for  vanity 
causes  the  women  to  dislike  covering  themselves 
up  and  resembling  walking  dummies.  Although 
I  admit  that  the  Oriental  view  is  extravagant,  I 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  115 

find  European  notions  of  dress  no  improvement; 
the  costume  worn  here  by  ladies  at  balls  seems  to 
indicate  still  worse  exaggeration  in  the  opposite 
direction. 

A  woman  without  male  connections  is  indeed 
to  be  pitied.  Shut  off  entirely  from  the  stronger 
sex  by  religion  and  custom,  and  therefore  lacking 
advice  and  protection,  she  may  get  into  sore 
straits;  she  is  apt  to  be  fleeced  by  her  steward, 
and  otherwise  cheated.  Indeed,  several  of  my 
acquaintances  married  to  escape  from  being  con- 
stantly tricked.  So  that  the  enforced  seclusion 
of  women  may  go  far  enough  to  become  extremely 
onerous.  Nevertheless,  the  Eastern  woman  stands 
in  no  need  of  all  the  sympathy  showered  upon  her 
in  Europe;  she  does  not  feel  the  restriction  much, 
for  habit  makes  any  life  tolerable. 

She  is  yet  more  commiserated  because  of  poly- 
gamy, because  she  is  forced  to  share  her  husband's 
love  with  another  or  others.  The  Moslem  is 
allowed  four  wives  by  law,  and  if  one  dies  or 
obtains  a  divorce  he  can  take  a  fifth;  secondary 
wives  he  may  buy  as  many  as  he  cares  to.  But 
I  never  saw  a  man  who  had  four  regular  wives  at 
once;  a  poor  man  can  afford  only  one,  and  a  rich 
man  does  not  go  beyond  two,  who  live  apart, 
each  having  her  own  establishment.  Some  women 
maintain  their  independence,  demanding  of  a 
suitor  that  he  sign  a  contract  binding  himself 
neither  to  marry  nor  buy  anyone  else. 


n6  MEMOIRS  OF 

In  practice,  then,  monogamy  is  predominant. 
But  if  a  man  avails  himself  of  his  legal  rights  to 
the  full,  a  painful  state  of  affairs  is  apt  to  result. 
Naturally  enough  hatred  and  malice  step  in,  and 
the  hot  Southern  blood  boils  up  in  furious  jealousy 
— whose  frequent  manifestation  should  tend  to 
prove  how  much  more  ardently  the  Oriental  loves 
than  her  calmer  Northern  sister.  Through  the 
passion  of  jealousy  polygamous  life  often  renders 
itself  unendurable,  and  that  is  well.  Many  an 
affluent  man  balks  at  the  daily  scenes  and  quar- 
rels, preferring  the  one- wife  system  to  such  a 
contingency.  That  polygamy  admits  of  neither 
defence  nor  excuse  every  person  able  to  think 
intelligently,  and  especially  every  woman,  must 
plainly  see. 

But  what  about  marriage  among  Christians, 
among  civilised  Europeans?  I  pass  over  the 
polygamy,  existing  under  the  name  of  Mormonism 
with  a  Christian  sect  in  a  Christian  land.  Coming 
to  respectable  society  in  Europe,  is  wedlock  really 
such  a  sacred  institution?  Is  it  not  often  absurd 
to  speak  of  "one"  wife?  True,  the  Christian 
dispensation  permits  but  a  single  mate,  and  that 
is  a  great  blessing.  Christianity  commands  the 
good  and  the  right,  Mahometanism  allowing 
evil.  Yet  the  prevailing  customs  and  actualities 
of  Oriental  life  mitigate  the  bad  consequences  of 
the  law  to  an  appreciable  degree,  while  here  sin 
very  frequently  takes  the  upper  hand  in  spite  of 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  117 

the  law.  Almost  the  sole  difference  between  an 
Oriental  woman's  situation  and  a  Western  woman's 
seems  to  be  that  the  first  knows  the  number  and 
perhaps  the  disposition  and  character  of  her  ri- 
vals, whereas  the  other  is  kept  in  charming  ig- 
norance. 

Of  course  none  but  wealthy  men  can  afford  to 
purchase  secondary  wives.  Slaves  at  the  be- 
ginning, motherhood  insures  them  emancipation. 
In  rare  cases  cruel  masters  will  sell  them  after 
the  child's  death,  from  satiety  or  for  the  money's 
sake.  Upon  a  man's  decease  all  his  secondary 
wives  become  free.  If  one  of  them  then  makes 
a  match  with  a  brother  or  other  relation  of  her 
former  master,  she  does  so  as  a  regular,  that  is, 
a  principal  wife. 

That  the  Arab  treats  nis  partner  contempt- 
uously is  a  myth.  Our  creed  alone  would  prevent 
this,  and  if  by  its  terms  woman  is  in  some  respects 
rated  man's  inferior,  she  is  at  the  same  time 
recommended  to  his  protection  because  of  her 
weakness.  A  devout,  God-fearing  Moslem  dis- 
plays just  as  much  kindness  as  a  well-bred,  culti- 
vated European,  perhaps  even  governs  himself 
with  more  rigour,  since  he  never  forgets  the 
omnipresence  of  the  Lord,  nor  till  his  last  breath 
relinquishes  his  firm  belief  in  Divine  retribution. 
Of  course,  you  find  wretches  everywhere  who 
deny  their  wives  the  proper  amiability  and  con- 
sideration, but  I  can  conscientiously  affirm  that 


n8  MEMOIRS  OF 

here  I  have  heard  more  of  tender  husbands  who 
beat  their  wives  than  at  home;  a  good  Arab 
would  think  he  was  dishonouring  himself  did  he 
thus  transgress.  With  the  Negroes  the  matter 
stands  differently  on  the  plantations.  I  have  often 
interfered  and  made  peace  between  a  pair  lustily 
belabouring  each  other. 

Nor  is  a  woman  subject  to  all  her  consort's 
whims.  If  one  of  them  offends  her  she  may  seek 
support  with  her  relatives,  or  she  is  entitled,  if 
alone  in  the  world,  to  apply  for  justice  to  the  cadi. 
Sometimes  she  fights  her  own  battle.  An  intimate 
friend  of  mine  at  sixteen  accepted  the  hand  of  a 
much  older  cousin,  who  was  quite  unworthy  of 
her.  Thoroughly  devil-may-care,  he  imagined  his 
wife  would  endure  anything;  consequently  his 
surprise  was  great,  upon  returning  home  one  night, 
to  find  her  absent  and  a  message  couched  in  strong 
language  awaiting  him  instead.  I  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  visiting  my  friend  on  her  estate  with- 
out giving  notice,  for  I  knew  her  delightful  spouse 
preferred  the  pleasures  of  the  town.  But  one  day 
she  came  to  tell  me  I  must  visit  her  no  more  with- 
out previous  announcement,  as  her  husband  was 
now  always  at  home,  He  had  gone  after  her 
repentantly,  and  implored  her  pardon;  having 
once  discovered  how  resolute  she  was,  he  took 
good  care  not  to  affront  her  again.  I  might 
quote  other  examples  of  female  independence. 

When   a  married  couple  meet   they  kiss  one 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  119 

another's  hands.  Their  meals  they  eat  together 
with  the  children.  A  woman  does  sundry  little 
works  of  love  for  her  husband;  when  he  goes  out 
she  hands  him  his  weapons,  relieves  him  of  them 
upon  his  return,  proffers  him  drinking  water,  and 
so  forth,  performs,  in  short,  those  trifling  atten- 
tions which  render  common  existence  pleasant 
and  happy — and  does  so  without  an  atom  of 
compulsion.  In  domestic  management  she  reigns 
supreme.  A  special  allowance  for  housekeeping 
is  not  in  vogue,  man  and  wife  drawing  upon  the 
same  purse,  though  if  a  man  has  two  principal 
wives  with  separate  establishments  he  divides  his 
income.  To  what  extent  a  woman  will  assert 
her  domestic  prerogatives  varies  according  to  her 
disposition  and  her  husband's.  Once,  when  I 
was  giving  a  large  party  on  a  plantation  of  mine, 
and  a  number  of  refusals  seemed  imminent  because 
of  the  difficulty  of  procuring  mounts  in  time,  a 
lady  offered  to  lend  me  all  the  donkeys  and  drivers 
I  might  want.  Upon  my  suggestion  that  she 
obtain  her  husband's  consent  to  this  generous 
proposal,  she  replied  rather  curtly  that  she  was 
not  accustomed  to  asking  his  sanction  in  such 
unimportant  matters.  Another  of  my  Zanzibar 
acquaintances  had  yet  wider  control  over  domestic 
and  economic  affairs,  managing  his  country  estates 
and  his  town  houses.  He  did  not  even  know  the 
amount  of  his  revenues,  neither  did  he  object 
to  receiving  from  her  hand  whatever  money  he 


120  MEMOIRS  OF 

needed,  and  owing  to  her  cleverness  and  far- 
sightedness he  came  off  very  well. 

The  bringing  up  of  children  lies  entirely  in  the 
mother's  hands,  be  she  a  regular  wife  or  an  ac- 
quired slave,  and  therein  she  is  most  fortunate. 
While  a  fashionable  Englishwoman  is  expected 
to  look  into  the  nursery  once  every  twenty-four 
hours,  and  a  Frenchwoman  sends  her  offspring 
to  the  country,  where  they  are  taken  charge  of 
by  strangers,  the  Arabian  tends  hers  with  minute 
care  and  circumstance,  scarcely  letting  them  out 
of  her  sight  so  long  as  they  require  motherly 
tutelage.  Intense  love,  deep  respect,  are  her 
reward;  her  relations  with  her  little  ones  com- 
pensate her  for  the  detriments  of  polygamy, 
making  her  family  life  happy  and  enjoyable. 
One  who  has  witnessed  the  lightheartedness  and 
mirthfulness  of  Eastern  women  must  known  how 
little  truth  resides  in  all  the  stories  of  their  oppres- 
sion and  degradation,  and  of  their  listless,  futile 
dreaming. 

But  a  profound  insight  of  the  real  conditions 
is  not  to  be  gained  through  a  visit  counting 
minutes.  All  his  courtesy  notwithstanding,  the 
Arab  does  not  like  outsiders — particularly  if  they 
belong  to  a  foreign  nation  or  creed — spying  into 
his  private  concerns.  When  a  European  arrived 
to  see  us  we  would  begin  by  staring  at  her  tre- 
mendous circumference,  as  in  that  day  crinolines 
were  worn  which  filled  the  width  of  a  staircase. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  121 

The  conversation  was  scant,  and  usually  confined 
to  the  mysteries  of  dress.  After  the  lady  had  been 
shown  the  customary  hospitalities,  scented  with 
rosewater  by  a  eunuch,  and  presented  with  farewell 
gifts,  she  would  depart  no  wiser  than  when  she 
came.  She  had  been  in  the  harem,  seen  the 
" unfortunate"  inmates  (veiled),  wondered  at  our 
costume,  our  jewellery,  our  agility  in  sitting  down 
on  the  floor — and  that  was  all.  Never  could  she 
boast  of  rinding  out  anything  beyond  other 
Europeans  who  had  visited  us.  She  would  be 
attended  from  and  to  the  door  by  eunuchs;  she 
would  not  be  un watched  for  an  instant.  A 
Westerner  is  rarely  shown  any  apartment  but  that 
she  is  received  in;  she  sometimes  fails  to  make 
out  the  veiled  lady  entertaining  her.  Briefly, 
she  gets  no  opportunity  to  investigate  Oriental 
family  life  and  the  standing  of  our  women. 

Another  point  regarding  matrimony:  a  girl's 
entering  the  wedded  estate  does  not  alter  her  rank 
or  name.  A  prince's  wife  sprung  from  simple 
folk  would  never  think  of  claiming  titular  equality 
with  him ;  despite  the  union  she  remains  "  daughter 
of  So-and-So,"  and  is  thus  addressed.  Con- 
trariwise, an  Arab  prince  or  chieftain  often  allows 
a  daughter  or  sister  to  marry  his  own  slave;  he 
says  to  himself;  my  servant  is  her  servant,  and 
therefore  she  stays  his  mistress  as  before.  How- 
ever, at  such  a  marriage  he  ceases  from  being  a 
slave  in  the  proper  sense,  though  he  speaks  to 


122  MEMOIRS  OF 

his  wife  as  " highness"  or  " mistress"  as  a  matter 
of  course.  A  man  alluding  to  his  wife  in  con- 
versation— which  he  preferably  avoids — never  re- 
fers to  her  as  "my  wife,"  but  designates  her  as 
"  daughter  of  So-and-So" ;  or  he  may  say  "  mother 
of  my  family,"  whether  she  has  children  or  not. 

A  couple  unacquainted  before  marriage  some- 
times find  agreement  difficult  or  impossible,  and 
the  Mahometan  rule  of  easy  divorce  hence  proves 
undoubtedly  beneficial.  Surely  it  is  better  that 
a  pair  radically  differing  in  opinions  and  character 
should  separate  peacefully  than  be  chained  to- 
gether for  their  whole  lives,  to  their  mutual  tor- 
ment, perhaps  culminating  in  an  outburst  of 
violence  or  crime.  A  woman  then  gets  her  pro- 
perty back,  over  which  she  has  had  unrestricted 
control  all  along.  If  the  husband  applies  for 
divorce  she  retains  his  wedding  gift,  but  surrenders 
it  if  divorce  takes  place  at  her  instigation. 

From  all  I  have  written  above  it  must  clearly 
appear  that  the  Oriental  woman  is  no  such  wronged 
and  oppressed  creature,  no  such  zero,  as  she  is 
reported  to  be.  My  stepmother  Azze  bint  Sef's 
example  is  significant.  She  held  complete  sway 
over  Seyyid  Said,  with  court  and  state  direction 
bent  to  her  caprices.  Did  one  of  us  wish  to  obtain 
anything  from  the  Sultan  the  request  had  to  be 
approved  by  her,  and  she  preserved  her  power 
until  his  death. 

Another  case  I  remember  is  that  of  the  daughter 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  123 

of  a  military  officer  belonging  to  Oman.  She 
came  "with  her  husband  to  live  in  Zanzibar ;  she 
was  sharp  and  witty;  yet  hideously  plain.  Never- 
theless he  adored  her,  meeting  her  fads  and 
fancies  with  angelic  patience.  Willy-nilly,  he 
was  obliged  to  escort  her  wheresoever  she  went, 
and  not  a  moment  of  his  time  could  he  safely 
count  upon  as  his  own.  He  was  simply  her 
slave. 

I  have  still  another  personage  to  mention  in 
disproof  of  the  fiction  as  the  Eastern  woman's 
"  inferiority."  To  this  day  my  great  aunt — sister 
to  my  grandfather — is  thought  of  as  a  model  of 
shrewdness,  courage,  and  efficiency. 

Upon  the  death  of  my  grandfather,  the  ruler 
of  Oman,  known  as  Imam  of  Muscat,  three  children 
survived,  my  father  Said,  my  uncle  Selim,  and 
my  aunt  Assha.  My  father  being  nine  years  old, 
a  regency  had  to  be  established,  when  my  great 
aunt,  contrary  to  all  precedent,  declared  she 
would  herself  govern  until  her  nephew  reached  his 
majority,  and  overruled  the  objectors.  The  minis- 
ters, who  had  been  anticipating  the  pleasure  of 
governing  the  country  to  suit  their  own  plans, 
were  greatly  disappointed,  but  had  to  obey. 
Every  day  they  were  obliged  to  appear  before 
the  regent,  to  make  their  reports  and  receive  orders. 
She  kept  an  eye  on  everybody,  and  seemed  to 
know  about  everything,  to  the  chagrin  of  the 
idle  and  the  negligent.  The  bonds  of  etiquette 


i24  MEMOIRS  OF 

she  cast  off  arbitrarily.  When  she  consulted  with 
her  ministers  she  wore  her  shale,  as  if  she  had  been 
going  out,  quite  indifferent  to  the  world's  critic- 
isms, and  intent  upon  accomplishing  her  task 
with  prudence  and  energy. 

She  had  not  been  reigning  long  when  war  broke 
out,  a  lamentably  frequent  occurrence  in  Oman. 
A  clan  related  to  ours  wanted  to  upset  the  gov- 
ernment, and  seize  upon  it  for  themselves — an 
easy  matter,  they  thought,  in  view  of  the  petticoat 
rulership.  So,  devastating  the  country  with  fire 
and  sword,  they  marched  as  far  as  Muscat,  and 
laid  siege  to  it,  having  driven  into  that  town  a 
lot  of  peasants  fleeing  before  them,  and  seeking 
shelter  and  succour.  Muscat  is  strongly  fortified, 
but  what  avail  the  thickest  walls  if  food  and 
ammunition  run  short? 

It  was  now  that  my  aunt  showed  the  stuff  she 
was  made  of,  gaining  even  the  admiration  of  the 
enemy.  At  night  she  would  ride  forth  in  men's 
clothes  to  inspect  the  outposts,  and  sometimes 
escaped  capture  only  through  the  swiftness  of  her 
horse.  One  evening  she  rode  out  in  very  low 
spirits,  for  she  had  learned  that  the  enemy  in- 
tended to  try  bribery  with  the  purpose  of  breaking 
into  the  fortress,  and  slaying  the  whole  garrison. 
Determining  to  put  the  fidelity  of  her  troops  to 
the  test,  she  approached  a  sentinel,  asked  for  his 
superior,  and  offered  a  tempting  inducement  in 
the  name  of  the  opposite  side.  The  wrath  of  this 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  125 

gallant  soldier  reassured  her,  though  she  was 
nearly  killed  for  a  spy  by  her  own  adherents. 

Muscat's  plight  went  from  bad  to  worse.  Famine 
started,  and  general  gloom  set  in.  No  assistance 
being  expected  from  without,  it  was  decided  at 
least  to  die  honourably,  and  to  make  a  final, 
desperate  sortie.  There  was  just  enough  powder 
left  for  one  battle;  on  the  other  hand,  there  was 
no  more  lead.  Then  the  Regent  commanded  that 
all  nails  be  gathered,  and  even  pebbles  of  the 
right  size,  to  make  ammunition  for  the  muskets; 
all  other  objects  of  iron  or  brass  were  broken  up, 
and  cast  into  cannon  ball;  yes,  even  the  silver 
dollars  in  the  treasury  were  sacrificed — they  were 
melted  into  bullets.  And  these  extreme  measures 
resulted  in  success.  Taken  by  surprise,  the 
hostile  force  scattered  to  the  four  points  of  the 
compass,  leaving  half  their  number  behind  as 
dead  or  wounded.  Muscat  was  saved. 

My  great  aunt  continued  to  govern  unmolested 
after  that,  and  the  realm  was  in  such  perfect 
order  when  she  handed  it  over  to  my  father,  that 
he  was  able  to  cast  his  eyes  abroad  in  search  of 
new  conquerable  territory — Zanzibar.  That  we 
ever  acquired  this  second  domain  was  therefore 
largely  due  to  her. 

And  she  was  an  Oriental  woman! 


CHAPTER  XII 

ARABIAN  SUITORSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 

FIRST    ACQUAINTANCE — GENERALLY    BY    HEARSAY 
—GIRLS    FREE     TO     REJECT     SUITORS — FOR- 
MALITIES     TO       BE      OBSERVED      BY     '  THE 
BRIDE — WEDDING    RITES 

AMONG  the  Arabs  a  matrimonial  union  is 
generally  arranged  by  the  father  or  the  head  of 
the  family.  Nor  is  there  anything  peculiar  about 
this;  it  frequently  happens  in  Europe,  where 
extreme  liberty  of  intercourse  exists  between  the 
sexes.  How  often  do  we  not  hear  of  a  reckless 
spendthrift,  so  deeply  in  debt  that  the  only  way 
out  is  to  sacrifice  a  beautiful  or  charming  daughter 
to  his  creditor;  or  of  a  frivolous,  worldly  woman 
positively  driving  her  child  into  an  unhappy 
marriage  simply  to  get  rid  of  her  at  any  cost? 
There  are  tyrannical  Arabian  parents,  too,  that, 
deaf  to.  the  voice  of  conscience,  disregard  their 
offspring's  future  welfare;  but  over  there  one 
cannot  look  upon  it  as  an  abuse  of  authority  if 
the  parents  make  the  choice.  The  seclusion  of 
the  women  renders  such  a  course  imperative. 
Living  altogether  apart  from  the  male  world, 
they  communicate  only  with  their  nearest  relatives 

of  the  sterner  sex,  though  one  must  admit  that 

126 


MEMBERS  OF  AN  ARABIAN  HAREM 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  127 

despite  all  precautions  an  acquaintance  is  now 
and  then  formed  and  continued.  However,  ac- 
cording to  the  predominating  rule  no  girl  ever  sees 
.her  intended  except  perhaps  from  a  window,  or 
speaks  to  him  until  the  evening  of  the  nuptials. 

Meanwhile  he  does  not  remain  a  complete  stran- 
ger to  her,  since  his  mother  and  sisters  and  aunts 
vie  with  one  another  in  describing  him  in  minute 
detail.  Sometimes  the  pair  have  played  together 
as  children,  boys  and  girls  being  permitted  unre- 
stricted companionship  to  the  age  of  nine,  and 
a  few  years  later  the  youth  asks  the  father  of  his 
erstwhile  playmate  for  her  hand,  but  not  without 
having  sounded  the  prospective  wife  through  his 
mother  or  sister.  Whenever  a  young  man  brings 
his  suit  forward,  the  careful  sire  commences  by 
asking:  "How  did  you  manage  to  see  my 
daughter,"  which  enquiry  is  properly  answered 
with:  "I  have  never  had  the  privilege  of  setting 
eyes  upon  your  esteemed  daughter,  but  I  know 
all  of  her  virtues  and  graces  from  my  relatives." 

Only  in  the  event  of  the  suitor  being  quite 
unsatisfactory  does  he  meet  with  prompt  rejection 
at  the  hands  of  the  father,  who  usually  requests 
time  to  consider  the  offer.  This  parent  then  com- 
ports himself  at  home  as  if  nothing  had  happened, 
observing  wife  and  daughter  narrowly  in  conversa- 
tion with  them.  Casually  he  lets  the  remark 
slip  that  he  is  thinking  of  giving  a  gentleman's 
party  soon,  and  when  asked  whom  he  intends  to 


128  MEMOIRS  OF 

invite  enumerates  his  friends.  If  he  notices  any 
sign  of  pleasure  at  mention  of  the  suitor's  name 
he  becomes  convinced  that  the  women  on  both 
sides  are  agreed.  He  thereupon  states  to  his 
daughter  that  So-and-So  has  applied  for  her,  and 
he  inquires  what  her  views  may  be.  Her  answer 
usually  settles  the  question;  none  but  a  heartless 
or  domineering  father  will  decide  without  waiting 
for  her  consent  or  refusal. 

In  this  respect  our  progenitor  showed  his  never 
failing  justice  by  leaving  his  children  to  determine 
their  own  fate.  My  sister  Zuena  was  but  twelve 
when  a  distant  cousin  presented  himself.  The 
Sultan,  although  annoyed  because  of  her  youth- 
fulness,  would  not  refuse  the  young  man  point 
blank  without  consulting  her.  Zuena  had  just 
lost  her  mother,  so,  having  no  one  to  advise  her, 
for  the  sheer  fun  of  the  thing  she  accepted  her 
cousin,  and  the  Sultan  assented. 

Cases  arise  in  which  betrothal,  and  even  espousal, 
takes  place  at  a  very  young  age.  Two  brothers 
of  Zanzibar  had  engaged  to  unite  their  progeny, 
and  when  the  boy,  on  one  side,  was  seventeen  or 
eighteen,  and  the  girl,  on  the  other,  about  seven 
or  eight,  talk  already  began  on  the  subject  of 
carrying  the  match  into  effect.  The  boy's  mother, 
a  prudent,  clear-sighted  woman,  complained  to 
me  of  her  husband's  and  his  brother's  obstinacy 
in  attempting  to  force  upon  her  a  daughter-in- 
law  who  was  little  more  than  an  infant,  and  whom 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  129 

she  would  have  to  take  care  of  and  bring  up. 
As  for  the  girl's  mother,  she  was  inconsolable 
over  the  loss  threatening  her.  Between  them, 
the  female  parents  contrived  to  obtain  a  post- 
ponement of  two  years.  What  eventually  came 
of  the  affair,  I  am  unable  to  say,  for  I  left  the 
island. 

A  betrothal  is  formally  announced  to  friends 
and  acquaintances  by  servants,  who  go  from 
house  to  house,  dressed  in  their  best,  distributing 
invitations  to  the  wedding,  and  being  presented 
with  gratuities  by  those  called  upon.  Great 
activity  now  develops  at  the  bride's  home,  since 
the  nuptials  may  occur  in  a  month's  time,  at  all 
events  the  period  of  betrothal  is  never  a  long  one, 
nor  is  much  preparation  necessary  in  the  favoured 
South.  Orientals  have  no  conception  of  the 
countless  articles  indispensable  to  the  European; 
an  Arabian  " fiancee"  would  be  struck  dumb  at 
the  sight  of  a  European  "  trousseau."  Why  are 
people  here  so  fond  of  loading  themselves  with 
ballast?  But  the  Arabian  bride  gets  relatively 
little  for  her  dowry,  which  may  consist — according 
to  her  position — of  handsome  clothes,  jewellery, 
slaves  of  both  sexes,  houses,  plantations,  and  cash. 
Not  only  her  parents,  but  the  groom  and  his 
parents  bestow  gifts  upon  her,  all  of  which  remain 
her.  personal  property. 

During  the  first  week  a  wife  of  high  station  is 
expected  to  change  her  clothes  two  or  three  times 


130  MEMOIRS  OF 

a  day.  A  special  bridal  dress,  like  the  white  gown 
and  tulle  veil,  is  not  in  vogue;  but  the  lady  must 
wear  new  things,  from  top  to  toe,  the  choice 
being  left  to  her,  and  sometimes  resulting  in  the 
gayest  assortment  of  colours,  which  however  do 
not  offend  the  eye.  Then  certain  perfumes  are 
made  for  the  occasion — riha,  for  instance,  a  costly 
hair  ointment  composed  of  powdered  sandal- 
wood,  musk,  saffron,  and  attar  of  roses.  Aloes- 
wood,  musk,  and  amber  combined  form  an  agree- 
able incense.  Baking,  confectionery  and  securing 
animals  to  be  slaughtered  busy  a  number  of 
people  also. 

A  tiresome  usage  the  woman  must  submit  to 
is  spending  her  final  week  of  maidenhood  in  a 
dark  room,  when  she  abstains  from  wearing  any 
but  the  plainest  garments — on  the  supposition 
that  she  will  look  all  the  more  beautiful  at  the 
auspicious  hour.  During  the  weeks  preceding 
it  she  is  beset  by  visitors.  All  the  old  women 
she  has  ever  known,  particularly  her  nurses,  whom 
she  may  not  have  seen  for  years,  pay  their  respects 
with  open  palm.  The  chief  eunuch,  too,  that 
once  shaved  her  hair  proudly  reminds  her  how  he 
performed  the  eminent  service,  begs  her  con- 
tinued patronage — and  a  keepsake.  Usually  he 
receives  a  valuable  shawl,  a  ring  for  the  little 
finger  of  his  left  hand,  a  watch,  or  a  few  gold  pieces. 

The  husband-to-be,  though  spared  confinement 
to  a  dark  room,  is  not  exempt  from  rewarding 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  131 

anybody  who  has  ever  done  a  single  thing  for  the 
lady  or  himself.  He  remains  at  home  the  last 
three  days,  and  is  only  visible  to  his  most  intimate 
friends,  meanwhile  exchanging  compliments  and 
presents  with  his  adored  one  through  their  families. 

The  marriage  rite  is  generally  enacted  after 
sunset,  and  not  in  a  mosque  but  at  the  bride's 
house,  by  a  cadi,  or,  if  none  is  available,  by  a  man 
of  acknowledged  piety.  The  principal  performer, 
so  to  speak,  does  not  come  upon  the  scene  at  all, 
her  father,  brother,  or  some  other  close  male 
relative  representing  her.  Should  she  be  without 
male  connections,  she  appears  personally  before 
the  cadi,  muffled  up  beyond  recognition,  and 
repeats  the  usual  set  phrases  in  a  tone  of  voice 
almost  inaudible;  the  room  must  be  empty  when 
she  enters  it,  cadi,  groom,  and  witnesses  following 
in  and  going  away  after  her.  Upon  the  ceremony's 
conclusion  the  newly  wedded  retires  to  her  apart- 
ments, while  the  husband  and  the  rest  of  the  men 
hold  a  feast. 

Official  surrender  of  the  wife  does  not  always 
figure  as  an  immediate  sequel  to  the  tying  of  the 
knot,  being  customarily  adjourned  until  the  third 
day.  Beautified  and  adorned  to  the  utmost, 
she  is  taken  to  her  new  home,  about  nine  or  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  by  her  female  relations,  where  she 
is  met  by  the  husband  and  his  male  connections. 
If  she  bears  the  higher  rank  of  the  two,  she  remains 
seated  when  he  comes  in.  She  waits  for  him  to 


132  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

address  her,  upon  which  she  may  speak  to  him. 
But  she  still  keeps  her  face  concealed;  before  she 
unveils,  the  husband  must  signify  his  devotion  in 
the  shape  of  a  gift  corresponding  to  his  resources. 
Poor  men  bestow  a  few  pence,  but  the  rich  hand 
over  large  sums. 

On  this  night  the  master  of  the  establishment 
opens  it  up  for  universal  hospitality,  lasting  as 
long  as  two  weeks.  Friends,  acquaintances,  even 
strangers  are  welcome,  and  can  eat  and  drink  to 
their  hearts'  content.  True,  neither  wine  nor 
beer  is  proffered,  and  the  Abadites  (the  sect  we 
belong  to)  are  forbidden  to  smoke  tobacco ;  never- 
theless, people  enjoy  themselves  thoroughly.  They 
eat  what  they  please,  drink  milk  of  almonds  and 
lemonade,  sing,  execute  war  dances,  and  listen  to 
recitations.  Eunuchs  burn  incense  the  while, 
and  sprinkle  rose-water  on  the  guests. 

Honeymoon  journeys  are  unknown  in  the  East. 
The  young  couple  keep  strictly  at  home  the  first 
week  or  two,  and  see  nobody,  after  the  lapse  of 
which  term  the  wife  receives  her  female  friends, 
who  come  in  throngs  every  evening  to  offer  their 
congratulations. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
SOCIAL  CUSTOMS 

CALLS  MADE  IN  THE  EVENING — WITH  ESCORT  OF 
ARMED  SLAVES — FORM  OF  RECEPTION  BY  THE 
HOSTESS — ETIQUETTE  CONCERNING  SLIPPERS 
— CONVERSATION — RIGID  EXCLUSION  OF  MEN 

FROM  ASSEMBLIES  OF  WOMEN — SAYING  GOOD- 
BYE— ROYAL  AUDIENCES — ORDER  OF  PROCEED- 
INGS THEREAT — OBLIGATION  TO  ATTEND  THEM 
— VISITS  BETWEEN  MEN. 

ANY  lady  who  wanted  to  pay  a  call  was  supposed 
to  have  her  coming  heralded  by  a  servant;  we 
rarely  took  the  liberty  of  making  impromptu 
visits.  Residents  of  the  town  we  went  to  see  on 
foot,  but  into  the  country  we  would  ride  on  mule 
or  horse  back.  In  Zanzibar  you  dress  up  for  these 
occasions,  just  as  you  do  in  Germany,  for  the 
purpose  of  honouring  your  hostess  and  exhibiting 
your  finery  (which  you  hope  will  throw  other 
people's  into  the  shade). 

Mahometan  ladies  avoid  showing  themselves 
in  public  during  the  daytime;  custom  bids  them 
give  preference  to  early  morning  or  to  nightfall. 
Zanzibar  had  no  street  lighting  when  I  lived  there, 
so  that  we  had  to  provide  our  own  means  of 
illumination.  We  employed  large  lanterns,  some 

133 


i34  MEMOIRS  OF 

no  less  than  four  or  five  feet  round.  The  hand- 
somest resembled  Russian  churches:  a  big  central 
cupola  and  four  smaller  ones.  In  each  division 
burned  a  candle,  whose  rays  glowed  through  a 
coloured  glass.  The  wealthy  would  take  several 
of  these  lanterns,  which  were  borne  by  strong 
servants,  middle  class  people  doing  with  one. 

You  have  an  escort  of  armed  slaves,  but  they 
look  more  formidable  than  they  really  are.  They 
used  to  give  us  a  lot  of  trouble,  and  to  cause  great 
expense.  For  all  their  weapons,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  rifles  and  revolvers,  were  inlaid  with 
gold  or  silver,  and  these  rascals  would  put  them 
in  pledge  for  a  trifle  with  some  East  Indian  usurer, 
simply  to  quench  their  thirst  in  pomba  (palm  wine) . 
So  what  could  a  mistress  do  but  buy  the  articles 
back  at  ten  times  the  amount,  or  fit  the  creatures 
out  anew  after  having  them  soundly  whipped? 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  however,  that  even  this  severe 
deterrent  was  not  as  effective  as  it  ought  to  have 
been. 

Thus  a  lady  would  start  out  with  a  dozen  or 
more  armed  slaves,  by  twos  preceding  her  and 
her  lantern  bearers,  a  number  of  highly  bedizened 
waiting  women  bringing  up  the  rear.  If  a  pedes- 
trian were  met,  whatever  his  rank,  the  slaves 
motioned  him  out  of  the  road,  and  he  had  to  step 
into  a  side  street,  or  shop,  or  doorway,  until  the 
procession  had  gone  by.  Only  it  was  found 
difficult  to  enforce  this  rule,  excepting  in  the  case 


Photograph  by  A.  C.  Gomes  &  Co.,  Zanzibar 

IN  ZANZIBAR'S  COMMERCIAL   QUARTER 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  135 

of  the  royal  family;  other  ladies  of  distinction 
were  not  always  able  to  assert  their  rights,  since 
the  roughs  and  rowdies  objected  to  that  form  of 
deference.  Although  propriety  everywhere  or- 
dains the  quietest  and  most  unobtrusive  behaviour 
outdoors,  nature  was  not  to  be  denied,  and  the 
procession  wound  gaily  along  with  such  loud 
talking  and  joking  that  the  inquisitive  flocked  to 
their  windows  or  doors,  or  out  upon  their  flat  roofs. 

Arrived  at  your  destination,  you  sent  in  your 
name.  But  there  was  no  tiresome  twiddling  of 
thumbs  in  a  dark  hallway  or  ante-chamber  while 
the  lady  of  the  house  was  putting  the  last  touches 
to  her  toilette.  You  followed  close  upon  the  an- 
nouncer's heels,  and  were  received  in  the  hostess's 
room,  or,  if  the  moon  was  up,  on  the  roof — kept 
scrupulously  clean,  and  edged  by  a  balustrade. 
The  hostess  sits  on  a  long,  richly  embroidered 
cushion,  or  divan,  three  or  four  inches  thick,  her 
back  supported  by  another  (against  the  wall). 
She  does  not  come  to  meet  one,  as  in  the  West 
real  or  pretended  cordiality  would  bid  her,  but 
rises  in  token  of  personal  regard  for  the  visitor  or 
of  respect  for  higher  rank. 

Toward  strangers  of  all  classes  an  Arabian 
woman  is  very  reticent  and  reserved,  though 
between  dear  friends  differences  of  birth  and 
position  count  for  nothing.  I  admit  the 
Southerner  to  be  terribly  jealous,  but  look  how 
much  more  passionately  she  loves  than  the  cold 


136  MEMOIRS  OF 

Northerner !  Down  there  the  heart  is  lord  supreme ; 
here  frosty  reason  too  often  holds  complete  sway, 
but  perhaps  one  should  accept  the  harder  life  as 
justification  therefor. 

After  kissing  the  hostess  on  the  head,  the  hand, 
or  the  border  of  her  shawl — persons  equal  in  rank 
clasp  hands — one  sits  down  on  the  divan  but,  if 
one  happens  to  be  her  inferior  in  station,  not 
without  her  request,  which  signified,  one  acknowl- 
edges her  dignity  by  sitting  a  little  way  off.  The 
veil  is  not  discarded,  nor  anything  but  the  foot- 
gear. The  wooden  sandals  worn  at  home  are 
exchanged  for  handsomely  worked  leathern 
slippers  to  go  out  in,  these  being  lightly  dropped 
from  the  feet  before  entering  a  room,  an  obligation 
from  which  absolutely  no  one  is  exempt.  It  is 
the  business  of  the  servants  attending  the  door 
to  arrange  the  slippers  carefully,  so  that  their 
owners  may  find  them  at  once.  Here  again  a 
canon  of  etiquette  must  be  obeyed:  the  shoes  of 
the  noblest  in  rank  are  placed  in  the  middle,  with 
the  others  ranged  about  them  in  a  semicircle. 

Following  upon  the  appearance  of  a  guest,  ser- 
vants hand  round  coffee  in  tiny  cups,  each  new 
arrival  bringing  a  repetition  of  coffee,  supplemented 
by  fresh  fruit  and  sweetmeats.  Pressing  one  to 
take  something  would  be  thought  barbarous. 
Neither  is  the  lady  of  the  house  obliged  to  keep  the 
conversation  up  to  a  set  pitch — that  painfully 
artificial,  European  habit.  Instead,  people  chat 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  137 

freely  and  spontaneously  about  any  subject  they 
like.  Since  there  are  no  theatres,  concerts,  cir- 
cuses, or  balls  to  discuss,  and  one  would  rather 
omit  profound  reflections  on  the  state  of  the 
weather,  topics  are  limited.  Usually  the  talk 
turns  upon  personal  affairs  and  matters  concerning 
agriculture.  Everyone  of  substance  in  Zanzibar 
pursues  agriculture,  without  much  skill  or  system 
but  with  great  enthusiasm.  Conversation  pro- 
ceeds delightfully  amid  genial  smiles  and  laughter 
unrestrained,  for  we  Southerners  enjoy  a  happy, 
mirthful  disposition.  And  why  not?  The  bright 
sunlight  sheds  unfailing  cheer,  and  the  lavishness 
of  nature's  voluntary  gifts  precludes  all  need  of 
calculating  for  the  morrow. 

Under  no  circumstances  may  the  master  of 
the  house  venture  into  a  room  where  his  wife, 
mother,  or  sister  is  entertaining  friends.  Only 
the  sovereign  and  his  nearest  male  connections 
stand  above  this  law.  Hence,  if  one  visits  a 
married  sister,  her  spouse  must  remain  unseen 
till  one  departs.  In  the  event  of  something 
important  requiring  to  be  communicated,  he 
sends  to  beg  her  momentary  presence  in  another 
room.  Women  do  the  same  when  their  masculine 
relatives  have  friends  with  them.  This  regulation 
is  enforced  even  when  a  lady  has  an  all-day  visitor, 
from  six  in  the  morning  till  seven  at  night,  and 
then  the  men  experience  some  difficulty  in  keep- 
ing out  of  the  way.  Of  course  the  custom  is 


138  MEMOIRS  OF 

onerous,  but  the  Oriental  does  not  feel  its  pressure. 
Brought  up  on  certain  views,  and  not  knowing 
any  others  to  compare  them  with,  he  naturally 
thinks  they  are  quite  right  and  proper.  The 
might  of  custom  and  its  influence  are  much  the 
same  everywhere.  By  no  means  would  I  deny 
that  the  East  has  unnecessary  or  extravagant 
usages,  but  is  Europe  free  from  such?  There, 
the  strictest  separation  of  the  sexes;  here,  the 
most  unlicensed  liberty  of  intercourse.  In  one 
place,  muffling  up  and  close-veiling  despite  the 
heat;  in  the  other,  low-necked  dresses,  the  cold 
climate  notwithstanding.  So  you  find  extremes 
and  exaggeration  wherever  you  go.  That  the 
golden  mean  has  not  been  discovered  yet,  is  my 
opinion. 

Ladies'  visits  last  three  or  four  hours.  Then 
the  slaves  have  to  be  wakened,  and  formed  up  to 
resume  the  order  of  march.  Meanwhile  the 
lanterns  have  been  kept  burning,  a  waste  to  be 
sure,  yet  nevertheless  fashionable.  After  giving 
her  guests  a  present,  however  small,  the  hostess 
allows  them  to  depart;  they  must  be  back  at 
midnight,  the  latest  term  for  the  fifth  prayer. 
One  great  advantage  accrues  to  Arabian  women; 
they  are  not  obliged  to  express  thanks  for  their 
entertainment  after  a  party  or  a  visit — a  decided 
improvement  on  paying  your  hostess  the  prettiest 
compliments  to  her  face,  and  vilifying  her  as  soon 
as  you  are  outside  the  door. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  139 

An  old  custom  in  Zanzibar  demands  that  the 
ruler  of  the  land  grant  interviews  twice  a  day — 
before  breakfast  and  after  the  fourth  prayer — to 
the  males  of  his  family,  his  ministers,  his  other 
officials,  and  everybody  who  may  desire  to  speak 
to  him.  The  hall  of  audience,  or  barza,  was 
situated  on  the  ground  floor  in  our  palace,  close 
to  the  sea  and  commanding  a  beautiful  view  over 
its  animated  surface.  Though  very  Iar0e,  this 
hall  was  sometimes  inadequate  for  the  crowd 
assembled.  Like  every  Arabian  apartment,  it 
was  fitted  out  with  striking  simplicity,  containing 
nothing  but  carpets,  mirrors  up  to  the  ceiling, 
clocks,  and  chairs  at  the  sides.  Since  no  Arab  of 
eminence  goes  out  alone,  a  couple  of  hundred 
satellites  were  always  swarming  about  the  en- 
trance; who  could  find  room  sat  on  the  stone 
benches  running  along  the  walls,  the  rest  waiting 
in  the  open  square  in  front  of  the  house  for  their 
masters  or  friends.  The  gentlemen  invariably 
came  to  audiences  in  full  state  costume — turban, 
djocha  (an  outer  coat  reaching  to  the  ankles), 
and  sash. 

At  home  an  Arab  wears  on  his  head — shorn 
bare  once  a  week — a  white  cap  often  prettily 
embroidered;  to  go  out  he  puts  on  his  turban. 
It  takes  some  skill  to  build  this  up  artistically, 
and  some  time,  for  which  reason  a  man  removes 
the  delicate  structure  with  infinite  precaution. 
The  cloth  used  for  turbans  is  relatively  cheap, 


140  MEMOIRS  OF 

but  the  material  for  a  sash  may  run  up  to  two 
hundred  silver  dollars.  A  noble  always  owns  a 
lot  of  sashes,  and  changes  them  as  a  man  does  his 
neckties  here.  Plain  white  or  black  silk  girdles 
are  worn  by  the  less  prosperous,  by  the  elderly, 
and  by  those  indifferent  to  fashion.  An  Arab's 
costume,  as  I  have  mentioned,  is  incomplete 
without  his  weapons. 

Before  a  man  of  note  enters  the  audience  hall 
he  takes  off  his  shoes  just  as  he  arrives  at  the 
door;  a  plebeian,  at  some  distance  from  it.  In 
this  there  is  no  suspicion  of  despotism;  it  is  an 
ancient  custom,  to  which  everyone  willingly 
subscribes.  To  all  ranks  the  Arab  pays  due 
honour  and  respect;  especially  does  he  feel  senti- 
ments of  instinctive  reverential  devotion  toward 
the  royal  family. 

When  the  barza  is  full  the  Sultan  starts.  In 
my  father's  lifetime  the  procession  would  move 
as  follows:  First  a  company  of  Negro  guards, 
then  the  junior  eunuchs,  the  senior  eunuchs,  the 
Sultan,  the  Sultan's  elder  sons,  and  finally  his 
younger  sons.  At  the  door  of  the  hall  guards 
and  eunuchs  formed  a  lane,  through  which  my 
father  and  brothers  entered  the  barza.  All  present 
rose  to  greet  Seyyid  Said,  his  departure  taking 
place  in  the  same  order  again.  If  a  noble  left 
before  he  did,  he  would  perhaps  walk  down  the 
room  with  him  a  few  steps,  while  the  others  stood 
up  for  that  moment. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  141 

Coffee  was  rarely  served  at  the  morning,  but 
regularly  at  the  evening  audiences.  Petitions  and 
complaints  were  presented  and  answered  by  word 
of  mouth,  documentary  transaction  of  business 
being  unfavoured.  Usually,  therefore,  petitioners 
had  to  come  in  person.  Matters  of  minor  im- 
portance were  handed  over  to  a  minister,  cadi, 
or  head  eunuch.  An  audience  lasted  two  hours 
or  so,  and  questions  unattended  to  were  relegated 
to  the  next  day. 

Princes  of  the  blood  visit  the  assembly  dating 
from  about  their  fifteenth  year,  when  they  are 
bound  to  do  so.  Each  notable,  likewise,  must 
appear  once  a  day  before  his  sovereign,  unless 
prevented  by  the  most  urgent  circumstances. 
In  case  of  prolonged  absence,  the  Sultan  sends  an 
inquiry,  going  himself  if  illness  is  reported.  No 
disease,  however  virulently  contagious,  neither 
cholera  nor  smallpox,  acts  as  a  deterrent.  For 
everything  is  in  the  hand  of  God. 

Gentlemen  make  calls  upon  one  another  at  the 
same  hour  as  the  ladies,  that  is  to  say  after  seven 
at  night  by  preference.  An  Arab  must  have  a 
definite  object  in  going  out.  He  knows  not  the 
existence  of  the  " constitutional,"  and  if  he  sees  a 
European  pacing  his  roof  in  the  evening  imagines 
this  some  form  of  Christian  prayer.  I  need  give 
no  particulars  about  visits  between  gentlemen  in 
Zanzibar,  which  very  nearly  resemble  those  of 
the  opposite  sex.  The  conversation  embraces 


i42  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

a  larger  field  of  topics,  both  local  and  national; 
the  last  audience  is  discussed,  the  various  petitions 
brought  forward  there,  the  lawsuits  settled. 
Europeans  being  admitted  to  the  audiences  and 
to  male  social  gatherings,  they  are  more  familiar 
with  that  side  of  our  patriarchal  doings  than  with 
the  secluded  life  of  the  Eastern  women. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
MAHOMETAN  FESTIVALS 

THE      MONTH      OF       RAMADAN — DAILY       FASTING 

NOCTURNAL        FEASTING       AND        HOSPITALITY 

— PRESENTATION  OF  HOLIDAY  GIFTS — WATCH- 
ING FOR  THE  NEW  MOON — GENERAL  REJOICINGS 
— THE  BANYANS — HENNA,  AND  THE  WAY  TO 
USE  IT — PUBLIC  PRAYERS — THE  "  GREAT 
FEAST" — PILGRIMAGES  TO  MECCA — A  TENTH 
TO  THE  POOR — HOW  PAUPERISM  IS  CONSE- 
QUENTLY A  NECESSARY  INSTITUTION. 

IT  is  no  doubt  well  known  that  the  Mahometan 
world  celebrates  a  month  of  the  year  by  fasting 
throughout  the  whole  of  each  day,  an  observance 
not  to  be  compared  with  the  Catholic,  which  is 
far  easier.  This  fasting  is  compulsory  for  all 
adherents  of  Islam,  the  children  over  twelve 
included.  My  mother  being  a  woman  of  extra- 
ordinary piety,  she  made  me  keep  the  month  of 
Ramadan  when  I  was  nine.  Surely  it  is  a  great 
hardship  for  a  child  of  nine  to  abstain  entirely 
from  food  and  drink  during  a  period  lasting 
fourteen  hours  and  a  half.  But  hunger  is  much  less 
unbearable  than  the  raging  thirst  one  experiences 
in  the  tropics.  At  my  age  I  naturally  had  rather 
faint  ideas  about  religion,  and  I  confess,  to  my 

143 


144  MEMOIRS  OF 

shame,  that  I  occasionally  stole  a  sip  of  water; 
on  being  closely  questioned  by  my  mother,  I 
repentantly  acknowledged  the  transgression,  when 
I  was  forgiven  upon  the  understanding  that  I 
would  not  break  the  sacred  law  again.  Strict 
obedience  to  the  rules  would  not  even  allow  one 
to  swallow  one's  spittle  purposely. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  cannon  shot  is 
fired  off  as  a  signal  for  the  fasting  to  begin.  Were 
one  in  the  middle  of  eating,  one  would  stop  imme- 
diately; if  one  were  just  about  to  raise  a  vessel 
with  fluid  to  one's  mouth,  one  would  desist  at 
hearing  the  cannon's  report.  From  that  moment 
no  adult  in  good  health  may  eat  a  morsel  or  drink 
a  drop.  There  is  a  general  preference  for  sleeping 
during  the  day  in  the  month  of  Ramadan,  and 
for  enjoying  oneself  until  late  at  night.  The 
sun  goes  down  at  six,  so  that  after  prayers  the 
fast  may  be  broken  at  half -past  six.  Fruit  and 
cold  spring- water  in  earthenware  jars  are  held 
in  readiness  as  first  refreshment  of  the  sufferer. 
Soon  the  family  gathers  to  consume  an  Epicurean 
meal,  by  way  of  compensation.  A  simple,  frugal 
liver,  the  Arab  yet  develops  into  a  glutton  at  his 
repasts  in  Ramadan. 

The  evenings,  or  rather  nights,  are  spent  to- 
gether sociably,  with  religious  hymns,  recitations, 
stories,  interspersed  by  eating  and  drinking.  At 
midnight  a  cannon  wakes  up  sleepers  and  bids 
them  prepare  the  suhur,  a  meal  served  between 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  145 

three  and  four  o'clock  in  one's  private  room.  The 
whole  month  passes  in  this  manner.  At  first 
there  are  cases  of  fainting  fits,  and  people  grow 
visibly  thin.  By  degrees  they  become  accustomed 
to  the  deprivation;  fewer  sleep  all  day,  and  many 
who  came  out  only  for  prayers  and  the  meal  at 
half -past  six  show  themselves  in  public  as  usual. 

All  members  of  every  household  must  strictly 
keep  the  fast,  and  one  is  expected  to  admonish 
one's  servants.  Plantation  labourers,  being  usually 
without  a  religion,  are  at  liberty  to  fast  or  not, 
as  they  please.  Young  children  and  invalids  are 
excused,  as  I  said,  but  the  latter  must  make  up  the 
fasting  after  recovery.  Travellers  and  women  in 
a  state  of  confinement  are  also  exempted,  though 
for  them  likewise  the  duty  is  purely  deferred. 

Fasting  is  of  course  no  mere  outer  observance; 
in  Ramadan  the  faithful  Moslem  submits  to  rigid 
self-examination,  that  he  may  discover  his  moral 
faults  and  sue  forgiveness  of  his  sins — just  as  in 
Holy  Week  the  devout  Christian  prepares  for  the 
sacrament.  One  tries  to  do  all  the  good  one  can 
this  month,  even  avoiding  to  kill  wild  beasts. 
Hence  the  celebration  of  Ramadan  tends  to 
soften  the  heart,  to  bring  man  nearer  to  God, 
to  improve  and  elevate  him  for  the  time  being,  if 
not  for  his  whole  life. 

The  Arabs'  traditional  hospitality  now  reaches 
its  height,  in  fact  becomes  a  religious  tenet. 
Everyone  who  has  a  house  or  family  entertains 


146  MEMOIRS  OF 

at  his  board  a  huge  number  of  people,  some  of 
whom  he  does  not  so  much  as  know  by  name.  He 
simply  asks  the  prayer-reader  at  the  mosque  he 
attends  to  send  a  certain  number  of  people  to 
supper  every  night.  Nor  are  his  guests  restricted 
to  the  poor  and  humble,  but  frequently  include 
men  of  great  substance,  strangers  away  from  home 
at  this  sacred  period  of  the  year.  To  provide  for 
such  a  one  always  delights  the  truly  hospitable 
Arab.  Nobody  demurs  at  accepting  food  and 
drink  from  an  inferior;  least  of  all  would  payment 
be  thought  of,  since  an  offer  of  money  would  con- 
stitute an  insult.  Under  principles  like  these 
selfishness  cannot  take  deep  root,  and  happy  the 
nation  that  regards  brotherly  love  as  an  inviolable 
duty. 

To  some  extent  Ramadan  resemble  the  weeks 
preceding  Christmas,  since  gifts  are  distributed  at 
the  beginning  of  the  next  month.  Needlework 
is  not  often  presented,  and  never  excepting  to 
intimates.  The  difficulties  incident  to  secrecy 
are  those  familiar  here;  many  a  time  have  I  seen 
a  solitary  figure  bending  over  her  task  in  an  un- 
frequented nook  by  the  bright  light  of  the  African 
moon.  Generally,  presents  are  bought  ready- 
made,  and  the  jewellers  do  the  best  business. 
This  trade  is  entirely  absorbed  by  East  Indian 
Banyans,  unsurpassed  at  cunning,  deception,  and 
trickery.  Highly  expert  in  their  handicraft,  they 
have  altogether  superseded  the  Arabian  gold- 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  147 

smith.  Orders  pour  in  upon  them  at  this  season, 
and  they  refuse  none.  Did  we  want  to  insure  the 
prompt  making  up  of  an  article  commissioned,  we 
would  send  a  couple  of  armed  slaves  to  watch  our 
man  at  his  job,  and  to  prevent  his  executing 
other  orders.  A  drastic  method,  no  doubt,  but 
one  (invented  by  a  sister  of  mine)  absolutely 
necessary  with  these  wretched  Hindu  blacklegs, 
whose  word  counts  for  nothing,  and  who  are 
miserable  cowards  into  the  bargain. 

Jewellery  and  arms  form  the  favourite  objects 
for  donation,  though  anything  else  is  acceptable, 
blood  horses,  white  mules,  and — horrible  to  the 
civilised  European — even  slaves! 

Thus  the  last  week  is  full  of  activity  and  ex- 
pectation. The  night  of  the  twenty-sixth  of 
Ramadan  is  particularly  sacred,  as  Mahomet  then 
received  the  Koran  from  Heaven.  When,  at  last, 
the  great  day  dawns,  or  rather  when  dusk  sets 
in,  the  whole  population  has  no  thought  but  to 
descry  the  new  moon.  Our  almanacs  are  only 
intended  for  scholars,  and  would  be  of  no  avail  as 
the  new  moon  must  be  actually  visible  before  the 
fasting  can  end.  Whoever  owns  a  telescope  or 
opera-glass  is  greatly  envied,  the  coveted  instru- 
ment travelling  from  hand  to  hand;  friends  and 
acquaintances  send  from  a  distance  to  borrow  it. 
Our  father  would  despatch  men  with  sharp  eyes 
to  the  roof  of  the  fort — a  relic  of  the  Portuguese 
dominion — and  to  the  mastheads  of  his  ships, 


148  MEMOIRS  OF 

with  the  mission  of  spying  out  the  silver  crescent. 
At  eventide  universal  suspense  prevails;  each 
moment  someone  imagines  he  has  heard  the  happy 
longed-for  signal — every  sound  is  mistaken 
for  it.  Finally,  when  the  shot  booms  out,  the 
whole  town  gives  vent  to  loud  jubilation  and 
exchanges  of  festive  compliments. 

In  the  country  the  matter  is  less  simple.  There 
the  ruler's  forethought  can  guarantee  no  oral 
token  that  the  right  time  has  come.  People 
residing  on  plantations  send  a  mounted  messenger 
into  town,  who  after  the  big  gun's  report  may  ride 
back  with  the  certain  news  that  the  moon  has 
actually  been  seen.  Others  let  slaves  climb  up 
the  highest  palm  trees,  whence  they  scan  the 
horizon.  Now  and  then  the  sentinel  mistakes  a 
light  little  strip  of  cloud  for  the  lunar  sickle;  the 
fast  is  broken  prematurely,  and  the  error  remains 
undiscovered  until  tidings  arrive  from  town. 
That  means  making  up  by  renewed  abstinence — 
a  severe  shock  to  the  holiday  spirit. 

During  the  last  week  there  is  not  only  a  great 
amount  of  baking,  but  quantities  of  oxen,  sheep, 
goats,  gazelles,  chickens,  and  pigeons  are  pur- 
chased, overflowing  the  stables.  We  do  not  eat 
veal,  and  Moslems  are  strictly  prohibited  from 
partaking  of  pork.  People  in  easy  circumstances 
have  money  given  out  to  the  poor  so  that  they  too 
may  satisfy  their  needs. 

Upon  the  sound  of  the  cannon,  allowing  the 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  149 

actual  initiation  of  the  so-called  "  Little  Feast/' 
an  Arabian  house  becomes  the  scene  of  ever- 
increasing  excitement  and  tumult.  Hundreds  of 
radiant  mortals  hasten  hither  and  thither,  for- 
getting their  usual  dignified  deportment,  all  intent 
on  pronouncing  blessings  and  good  wishes  to  family 
and  friends.  Amid  these  feelings  of  religious 
exaltation  two  enemies  are  apt  to  clasp  hands  in 
mutual  pardon,  hoping  to  have  earned  God's  by 
their  own  previous  purification  of  heart. 

Owing  to  the  lively  rejoicings,  the  manifold 
exclaimings  in  sundry  tongues,  the  cursings  at 
overworked  slaves,  sleep  is  almost  impossible  that 
night.  Servants  especially  find  rest  out  of  the 
question.  The  butchers  pounce  upon  their  bel- 
lowing or  squeaking  prey  in  order  to  kill  them, 
having  first  uttered  the  prescribed  formula  "In 
the  name  of  God  the  All-Merciful ! ' '  And  in  accord 
with  holy  ritual  the  beast's  throat  is  slit,  its  head 
chopped  off,  and  its  carcass  skinned.  So  it  reaches 
the  kitchen  in  time  to  be  done  for  the  morrow's 
banquet. 

Our  yard  looked  like  an  ocean  of  gore  after  the 
wholesale  slaughtering.  The  vegetarians  living 
in  Zanzibar,  the  Banyans,  hated  our  feasts,  and 
shunned  the  places  where  animals  were  put  to  the 
knife.  They  are  virtually  the  only  manufacturers 
in  the  island,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  usurious 
skinflints.  Bitterly  loathed  by  their  victims,  they  are 
mocked  by  them  on  these  occasions  in  cruel  fashion. 


150  MEMOIRS  OF 

Pretending  that  some  rich  lady  wishes  to  make 
a  purchase,  rough  people  lure  the  Banyans — ever  on 
the  lookout  for  trade — into  the  shambles,  there 
holding  them  up  to  general  derision.  At  all  events 
these  star-worshippers,  however  corrupt,  faithfully 
obey  the  vegetarian  teachings  of  their  creed. 

But  it  is  not  only  the  noise  that  keeps  the  ladies 
awake.  They  are  racking  their  brains  how  to 
outshine  one  another  in  the  splendours  of  dress. 
The  festival  endures  three  days,  upon  each  of 
which  a  new  outfit  of  clothes  must  be  worn — 
entirely  new  to  the  smallest  detail,  from  head  to 
foot.  Perfumes  are  then  employed  in  such  pro- 
fusion as  to  suggest  for  analogy  the  quantities 
of  beer  consumed  in  Berlin  at  Whitsuntide.  Many 
an  Arabian  lady  spends  five  hundred  silver  dollars 
a  year  on  scents,  and  their  odour  would  probably 
overpower  one  but  for  the  windows  and  doors  being 
constantly  open. 

An  important  part  in  the  oriental  gala  toilette 
is  played  by  henna,  derived  from  the  leaves  of  a 
shrub,  and  used  to  colour  the  hands  of  women 
and  children  to  a  lasting  red,  though  also  to  cure 
pimples,  freckles,  and  itching.  Still,  henna  leaves 
— they  resemble  those  of  the  myrtle — are  not 
efficacious  alone;  after  drying  and  pulverisation 
they  are  mixed  with  lemon  juice  and  a  little  water, 
then  kneaded  into  a  dough,  which  is  set  out  in  the 
sun,  and  finally  treated  again  with  lemon  juice 
to  prevent  hardening. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  151 

The  recipient  lies  rigid  at  full  length  on  her 
back.  First  the  dough  is  applied  to  the  feet; 
their  surface  remains  untouched,  but  each  toe  is 
covered,  and  the  soles  and  sides.  Next  a  layer  of 
soft  leaves  is  put  on,  and  tightly  bandaged  down. 
Then  the  hands  are  proceeded  with  in  the  same 
manner  exactly.  The  back  of  the  hand  is  left 
free,  the  edge  of  the  palm  and  each  ringer  to  the 
first  joint  being  plastered  with  dough  and  en- 
swathed.  Motionless  does  the  vain  beauty  lie 
on  her  bed  all  night,  that  she  be  not  disfigured 
through  the  shifting  of  the  dough.  For,  mark, 
only  the  parts  I  have  specified  may  be  tinted;  if 
henna  should  appear  on  the  back  of  the  hand, 
or  above  the  first  finger  joint,  that  would  be 
thought  hideous.  No  defence  is  possible  against 
mosquitoes  and  flies,  though  the  wealthy  can  have 
them  fanned  away  by  slaves  until  morning,  when 
the  dough  is  carefully  removed.  That  night  the 
torture  begins  anew,  and  the  following  night  once 
more,  since  three  applications  are  necessary  to 
produce  a  rich,  dark  red,  which  will  keep  a  month, 
despite  all  washing.  Elderly  ladies  and  children 
do  not  submit  to  this  operation,  but  use  henna, 
in  a  liquefied  form,  as  a  cooling  ablution  for  the 
skin  of  their  hands. 

On  the  morning  of  the  festal  day  everybody 
is  up  at  four  o'clock,  and  tarries  long  over  the  first 
prayer,  earnestly  thanking  the  Omnipotent  Creator 
and  Director  of  the  Universe  for  all  blessings  vouch- 


152  MEMOIRS  OF 

safed,  and  for  the  ills  inflicted  with  the  purpose  of 
trying  us.  These  orisons  concluded,  bedizened 
ladies  are  seen  hurrying  along  the  veranda;  they 
intend  exhibiting  their  finery  to  a  few  others,  as 
an  hour  later,  amid  the  general  splendour  and 
magnificence,  an  individual  has  no  chance  to 
distinguish  herself.  One  might  think  of  a  com- 
parison with  a  ballroom,  were  not  the  pallid  monot- 
ony of  white  so  conspicuous  in  the  North.  With 
us,  in  the  East,  only  bright  assortments  of  colour 
are  approved.  How  a  European  fashionable  would 
be  shocked  at  an  Arabian  woman,  dressed  in  her 
long,  red  silk,  shirt-like  garments,  patterned  and 
corded  all  over  with  gold  and  silver  thread,  and 
wearing  a  pair  of  green  satin  trousers!  Of  course 
she  would  find  it  extraordinary,  just  as  I  did  when 
I  first  saw  Europeans  going  about  in  grey  with 
grey  and  black  with  black.  I  disliked  the  colours 
of  civilisation,  and  was  some  time  persuading  my- 
self to  adopt  "  elegant "  tastes. 

At  six  o'clock  another  cannon.  Then  report 
after  report  to  celebrate  the  event.  Foreign  men- 
of-war  chancing  to  be  in  the  harbour  join  the  firing 
by  salutes  of  twenty-one  guns.  Every  Arab  who 
can  manifests  his  joy  by  shooting,  and  he  spares 
no  powder;  a  stranger  would  certainly  believe 
the  town  under  bombardment.  All  ships  are 
gaily  decorated;  flags  fly  from  yardarms  and 
masts  of  native  and  alien  vessels  alike. 

An  hour  more,   and  all  the  mosques  fill  up, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  153 

hundreds  of  people  unable  to  get  admission  per- 
forming their  devotions  outside  them.  The  exer- 
cise of  Mussulman  worship  entails  bodily  effort, 
as  the  worshipper  must  repeatedly  bend  low  down, 
touching  his  forehead  to  the  ground  in  the  Divine 
presence.  In  a  dirty,  stony  street  this  is  no  trifle. 
But  no  loyal  disciple  of  Islam  will  allow  rain, 
storm,  or  anything  else  to  interfere  with  his 
prayers,  and  upon  feast  days  he  regards  it  as  a 
serious  duty  to  offer  them  within  or  close  to  a 
mosque.  Seyyid  Said  was  wont  to  obey  the  rule, 
visiting  a  holy  edifice  nearby  with  his  sons  and 
an  innumerable  escort.  Another  salvo  of  artillery 
denotes  the  conclusion  of  the  religious  service, 
and  from  that  moment  one  may  revel  to  the 
heart's  content  in  one's  favourite  gastronomic 
delicacies,  the  fast  actually  ceasing  after  the  early 
prostrations. 

We  women  awaited  the  Sultan's  return  in  his 
apartment,  all  rising  as  he  entered,  to  step  for- 
ward and  congratulate  him,  and  to  imprint  a 
respectful  kiss  on  his  hand.  An  aristocratic 
hand  of  either  sex  has  a  good  deal  to  go  through 
on  a  religious  holiday;  it  is  washed  and  perfumed 
without  end,  from  dawn  to  dusk.  Equals  kiss 
each  other  on  the  hand ;  middle-class  persons  touch 
a  superior's  inclined  head  with  the  lips;  a  common 
woman  may  only  salute  the  feet. 

At  these  festivals  my  father  would  order  a 
grand  distribution  of  presents,  which  were  similar 


i54  MEMOIRS  OF 

to  those  described  in  a  former  chapter,  and  whose 
handing  over  was  effected  under  supervision  of 
the  chief  eunuch.  But  this  time  gifts  were 
universal.  The  Sultan  donated  not  to  his  family 
alone,  but  to  Asiatic  or  African  nobles  sojourning 
at  the  capital,  to  all  civil  functionaries,  soldiers 
and  their  officers,  sailors  and  their  captains,  the 
stewards  of  his  forty-five  plantations,  and  to  all 
his  slaves,  perhaps  counting  about  eight  thousand. 
The  charming  German  custom  of  children  giving 
birthday  and  Christmas  presents  to  their  parents 
is  not  in  vogue  in  my  country,  where  one's  birth- 
day passes  unobserved,  and  where  the  head  of 
the  family  never  receives  anything  from  his 
children. 

Mahometans  keep  but  two  festivals  a  year, 
which  might  seem  incomprehensible  to  Catholics, 
with  their  frequent  holidays.  Two  months  lie 
between  the  " Little  Feast"  and  the  "Great 
Feast,"  either  being  known  as  Bairam.  The 
second  forms  a  virtual  repetition  of  the  other, 
yet  is  celebrated  more  gorgeously,  and  hearts  are 
keyed  to  a  still  higher  pitch  of  sacred  fervour.  It 
is  the  season,  too,  for  the  grand  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca,  undertaken  at  least  once  in  the  life  of  all 
true  believers  able  to  go.  Undismayed  by  cholera 
and  other  diseases  that  carry  off  thousands  of 
pilgrims,  zealous  Islamites  repair  in  untold  num- 
bers to  the  Prophet's  holy  city,  there  suing  pardon 
for  their  sins.  The  needy  must  travel  huge 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  155 

distances  on  foot,  and  the  voyages  on  shipboard, 
where  they  almost  lie  on  the  top  of  one  another, 
are  appalling.  But  on  they  journey;  their  fate 
is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord.  Truly  such  steadfast- 
ness, fearing  no  exertions,  no  hardships,  no  dangers, 
deserves  a  favourable  eye. 

The  " Great  Feast"  falls  on  the  tenth  day  of 
the  twelfth  month,  and  lasts  from  three  to  seven 
days.  Everyone  in  a  position  to  afford  buying 
a  sheep  has  one  killed  on  the  first  day,  and  de- 
livered to  the  poor.  The  law  prescribes  that  the 
animal  must  be  perfect,  without  a  single  flaw, 
deficient  by  not  so  much  as  a  tooth.  Neither  the 
owner  of  the  sacrificial  beast,  nor  his  family,  nor 
even  his  servants  may  touch  its  flesh;  every 
morsel  belongs  to  the  indigent. 

In  the  real  Oriental  countries  (I  except  Turkey, 
Egypt,  and  Tunis  because  of  their  half-European 
civilisation)  no  one  understands  the  meaning  of 
"  stocks"  and  '  'bonds,"  so  that  the  word  "  in  vest- 
ment" does  not  exist.  Property  comprises  plan- 
tations, houses,  slaves,  cattle,  jewellery,  and  cash, 
and  his  creed  bids  the  Moslem  surrender  to  the 
poor  a  tenth  of  all  that  remains  to  him  from  his 
crops,  the  rental  of  his  houses,  or  other  sources  of 
revenue.  Furthermore,  his  treasures  in  gold,  silver, 
and  precious  stones  must  be  appraised  by  an  ex- 
pert, and  of  the  bulk  one-tenth  set  aside  for  the 
poor — income  tax  and  property  tax  in  one !  And 
this  is  all  done  without  regulation  by  the  authori- 


156  MEMOIRS  OF 

ties,  everybody  being  bound  by  his  own  soul. 
But  it  is  a  law  of  the  Prophet  strictly  obeyed,  and 
carried  out  sans  comment  or  discussion,  on  the 
principle  of  not  allowing  the  left  hand  to  know 
what  the  right  is  doing.  And  one  complies  with 
the  most  scrupulous  exactness  so  as  not  to  be 
tormented  by  remorse  or  pangs  of  conscience. 

Under  such  circumstances  every  Mahometan 
state  must,  of  necessity  almost,  contain  an  army 
of  paupers  as  an  institution.  How  else  could 
the  duty  of  self- taxation  be  absolved  ?  Now,  these 
paupers  resemble  not  the  unfortunate  creatures 
seen  here,  but  half  perhaps  own  more  than  they 
actually  want.  Begging  is  their  profession,  it 
is  their  second  nature,  and  if  they  stopped  they 
would  be  unhappy.  Sometimes  begging  passes 
down  as  an  inherited  vocation,  when  one  may  be 
addressed:  "Do  you  not  know  me?  I  am  the  son 
(or  daughter,  or  sister-in-law,  etc.)  of  So  and-So, 
to  whom  you  were  so  liberal  when  he  (or  she)  was 
alive.  I  have  taken  his  (or  her)  place,  therefore 
if  you  have  anything  to  give  please  send  it  to  me." 

Whenever  we  had  to  fulfil  vows,  which  happened 
several  times  a  year,  these  paupers  would  flock  by 
to  share  in  the  customary  dispensing  of  alms. 
Or  if  anyone  was  sick  they  would  get  wind  of 
the  fact,  and  would  stand  guard  under  the  win- 
dows in  reliefs,  earning  handsome  remuneration 
for  doing  so.  Whether  this  form  of  charity 
is  brotherly  love,  or  intended  as  a  means  of 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  157 

propitiating  the  Almighty,  I  cannot  say ;  anyhow, 
the  custom  is  a  beautiful  one. 

Many  beggars,  however,  are  a  mass  of  sores  and 
ulcers.  Some  go  about  with  their  noses  rotted 
away  or  other  dreadful  mutilation;  they  are 
victims  to  a  disease  we  call  betas,  hands  and  feet 
turning  white  as  snow.  Nobody  will  have  aught 
to  do  with  these  people,  whose  ailment  is  ac- 
counted contagious.  I  do  not  know  if  the  malady 
in  question  is  leprosy.  But  the  unhappy  wretches 
get  plentiful  alms,  which  render  their  piteous 
existence  a  little  more  bearable.  Not  that  all  the 
giving  stops  at  the  great  Bairam  feast.  Those 
who  have  been  ill,  or  otherwise  detained,  through 
a  journey  perhaps,  from  attending  the  distribution, 
never  dream  of  relinquishing  their  claim.  Weeks, 
months,  may  have  sped  by  since  the  festival, 
even  the  next  may  be  approaching;  they  none 
the  less  come,  and  ask  for  their  presents. 


CHAPTER  XV 
MEDICAL  TREATMENT 

CUPPING — KNEADING — SWALLOWING  SENTENCES 
FROM  THE  KORAN — CONSULTATION  OF  FOREIGN 
PHYSICIANS — MALTREATMENT  BY  DOMESTIC 
REMEDIES — SUPERSTITIOUS  PRACTICES — POS- 
SESSION BY  SPIRITS,  GOOD  AND  EVIL — EXORCISM 
AND  PROPITIATION — FEMALE  DOCTORS  NEEDED 
IN  ZANZIBAR. 

PEOPLE  grow  up  in  Eastern  lands  without  par- 
ticular attention  to  any  rules  or  care  of  health. 
Only  severe  illness  calls  forth  aid  to  nature,  but 
the  means  employed  are  pure  hocus-pocus.  The 
grand,  universal  remedy  is  cupping,  for  every 
ailment,  from  smallpox  to  cholera,  this  atrocious 
operation  being  also  regarded  as  a  preventive. 
Hence  persons  in  robust  condition  submit  them- 
selves to  cupping  at  least  once  a  year,  that  their 
blood  may  be  cleansed,  and  their  bodies  strength- 
ened against  possible  future  sickness.  I  remem- 
ber bursting  into  loud  screams  on  a  certain  occas- 
ion at  Bet  il  Mtoni,  when  I  saw  a  sister  of  mine 
stark  and  white  after  blood-letting;  she  had 
fainted  away  from  the  weakness  caused  by  the 
loss,  and  I  supposed  her  dead. 

Kneading     of    the    limbs     is    agreeable    and 

158 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  159 

beneficial.  Our  slaves  were  highly  expert  thereat ;  I 
mentioned  before  how  they  sent  us  to  sleep  and 
woke  us  up  by  this  process.  It  is  much  in  vogue 
for  various  kinds  of  indisposition,  especially  "pains 
in  the  body."  Vomiting — another  favourite  cure 
—demands  the  administration  of  nauseous  herbs, 
concocted  to  make  a  brew  so  horrible  that  its 
mere  approach  to  one's  nose  produces  the  desired 
effect. 

In  case  of  a  grave  malady,  we  appeal  to  the 
Higher  Power,  using  sentences  from  the  Koran. 
Some  individual  of  known  exemplary  life  writes 
the  sentences  on  a  plate  with  a  solution  of  saffron. 
Mixed  with  rosewater,  this  writing  turns  into  a 
beverage  for  the  patient,  who  takes  three  doses  a 
day.  The  greatest  caution  is  observed  lest  a  drop 
of  the  sacred  drink  be  spilled.  I  have  myself 
taken  this  medicine  for  several  weeks  at  a  stretch 
while  down  with  a  malignant  fever. 

Exceptional  instances  occurred  when  a  medical 
man — either  a  real  doctor  or  a  magician — would 
be  summoned  to  an  invalid's  bedside.  My  sister 
Chole,  after  protracted  suffering  from  an  obstinate, 
unceasing  earache,  was  to  see  a  noted  Persian 
doctor,  and  I  got  permission  to  attend  the  con- 
sultation. Chole  was  wrapped  up  so  that  she 
could  not  be  recognised,  with  however  the  ailing 
ear  left  uncovered.  Then  she  seated  herself  on 
a  divan.  On  her  right  my  father  assumed  his 
position,  standing,  and  my  brother  Khaled  on  her 


160  MEMOIRS  OF 

left.  My  younger  brothers,  dressed  in  state 
raiment  and  fully  armed,  formed  a  semicircle 
about  them.  Escorted  by  a  band  of  eunuchs 
the  physician  came  into  the  room,  other  eunuchs 
having  been  stationed  in  sundry  parts  of  the  house 
to  warn  away  female  inmates  who  might  other- 
wise have  met  the  Persian.  He,  of  course,  dared 
not  himself  address  my  sister,  but  carried  on  his 
examination  through  my  father  and  brothers. 

When,  at  a  later  date,  I  was  afflicted  with  typhoid, 
and  all  native  remedies  had  failed,  my  father's 
sister  Assha  decided  to  call  in  a  European.  My 
father  having  died,  and  I  being  to  some  extent 
my  own  mistress,  the  ceremonious  visitation  of 
Chole  was  not  repeated.  The  doctor  in  question, 
though  familiar  with  Arabian  customs,  insisted 
on  feeling  my  pulse,  to  which  my  aunt,  who  was 
sincerely  anxious  about  me,  at  last  gave  her 
sanction.  Still,  a  host  of  eunuchs  were  marshalled, 
and,  like  Chole,  I  had  to  be  enswathed  beyond 
recognition  (I  was  unconscious  at  the  time,  and 
heard  the  story  from  Assha  afterward).  Upon 
the  mediciner  asking  to  see  my  tongue,  the  chief 
eunuch  berated  him  so  violently  because  of  this 
impudent  request,  that  the  disciple  of  Esculapius 
left  the  place,  feeling  grossly  insulted  in  his  pro- 
fessional dignity. 

The  Arab  has  no  idea  of  classifying  diseases. 
He  knows  but  two  kinds,  " pains  in  the  body" 
and  "pains  in  the  head."  To  the  first  category 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  161 

belong  any  complaints  affecting  stomach,  liver, 
or  kidneys,  while  under  the  second  he  lists  all 
manifestations  of  distress  assailing  the  head, 
whether  sunstroke  or  softening  of  the  brain.  No 
one  ever  discovers  the  fundamental  cause  of  an 
illness,  and  if  domestic  nostrums  prove  unavailing, 
sometimes  a  European  doctor  will  be  sent  to  for 
medicine.  But  he  is  in  an  awkward  predicament 
— forbidden  to  see  the  patient,  and  uncertainly 
informed  concerning  her  case.  Small  wonder, 
then,  if  he  return  the  wrong  medicine,  or,  at  best, 
something  innocuous. 

Dieting  is  likewise  unheard  of.  The  victim  to 
cholera,  smallpox,  or  typhoid  showing  an  appetite, 
he  may  gratify  it  with  any  eatables  the  kitchen 
affords.  What  one's  nature  craves  must  be  good 
for  one,  is  the  supposition.  Thus  Divine  ordi- 
nance rules  in  everything,  and  usually  forsooth, 
blinds  the  Moslem  to  the  danger  of  contagion. 
No  one  would  dream,  for  instance,  of  segregating 
sufferers  from  the  smallpox.  The  bath-house  I 
mentioned,  above  which  went  the  passage  con- 
necting Bet  il  Sahel  and  Bet  il  Tani,  fell  to  ruin, 
and  served  as  a  refuse  pit.  Nevertheless,  when 
the  clamour  for  additional  quarters  grew,  new 
ones  were  built  upon  the  decayed  wreck,  so  that 
the  inhabitants  virtually  lived  over  a  mass  of 
filth. 

Unhappily,  smallpox  ravages  our  island  in 
regular  recurrence,  claiming  thousands  of  victims. 


i62  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  patient's  whole  body  is  smeared  with  a  salve, 
and  then  exposed  to  the  sun;  or  else  cocoanut 
milk  is  applied.  But  when  the  patient  is  covered 
with  sores,  and  he  cannot  endure  the  contact  of 
the  bedclothes,  he  is  laid  on  a  soft  straw  mat  or 
a  large  fresh  banana  leaf  whose  stiff  spine  has 
been  removed.  No  method  of  internal  relief  is 
attempted,  and  water  is  not  allowed  to  touch  him. 

Consumption,  unfortunately  no  rare  guest,  either 
receives  no  treatment  whatever,  although  the 
disease  most  feared,  and  held  to  be  infectious — 
as  the  European  medical  fraternity  believes. 
A  consumptive  is  shunned  by  everyone;  people 
avoid  shaking  hands  with  him,  and  will  not 
drink  out  of  a  glass  he  has  used.  Not  a  few  of 
my  own  family  succumbed  to  phthisis  in  their 
very  prime.  Things  belonging  to  the  dead  were 
disinfected;  clothes  and  bedding  were  washed  by 
the  seashore,  and  gold  and  silver  articles  made 
red-hot. 

Whooping-cough  among  children  appears  as 
often  as  in  Germany,  They  drink  dew  gathered 
from  banana  leaves,  and  superstition  does  the  rest; 
the  dried  rind  of  a  pumpkin  is  cut  up  into  small 
discs,  these  strung  together,  and  suspended  round 
the  neck.  Boils  of  a  certain  kind  are  overlaid 
with  shrivelled  onion  skins,  taking  the  place  of 
court  plaster.  If  you  want  a  boil  to  burst  you 
administer  warm  dough.  Never  a  doctor!  Noth- 
ing but  primitive  domestic  remedies! 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  163 

On  the  other  hand,  soothsayers  are  greatly 
in  demand,  and  well  paid.  We  usually  consulted 
an  old  one-eyed  hag  of  fifty.  Her  magic  outfit 
was  contained  in  a  dirty  leather  bag:  little  shells 
and  pebbles,  bleached  bones  of  animals,  bits  of 
broken  glass  and  china,  rusty  iron  nails,  mutilated 
copper  and  silver  coins,  etc.  When  you  ordered 
her  to  answer  a  question,  she  would  pray  to  God 
for  guidance,  shake  up  the  bag,  and  spill  out  the 
whole  mess  in  front  of  her.  According  to  the 
position  of  all  that  rubbish  she  would  then 
prophesy  as  to  the  patient's  recovery.  Chance 
seemed  to  favour  this  woman,  since  her  prog- 
nostications often  came  true  which  rendered 
the  business  doubly  lucrative,  each  successful 
forecast  bringing  an  additional  gratuity. 

External  injuries  are  of  course  more  easily  got 
rid  of;  tinder,  for  example,  will  stop  a  wound 
from  bleeding.  But  with  fractures  it  is  a  dif- 
ferent matter,  as  I  learned  to  my  cost.  I  was 
quite  young,  and  therefore  ineligible  to  sit  at 
meals.  The  Sultan  one  day  sent  me  some  deli- 
cacies on  a  plate  which  I  was  in  such  a  hurry  to 
exhibit  to  my  mother  that  I  tumbled  downstairs, 
and  broke  my  forearm.  My  aunt  Assha  and  my 
brother  Bargash  bandaged  it,  but  did  not  set  the 
bones  properly;  hence  it  never  became  quite 
straight  again,  and  it  now  constantly  reminds  me 
how  sadly  my  countrymen  need  medical  and 
surgical  experts. 


1 64  MEMOIRS  OF 

These  pages  of  mine  have  thus  far  neglected  a 
highly  important  personage — his  Satanic  Majesty! 
That  nearly  all  Orientals  believe  in  an  actual 
fiend  is  generally  known,  I  imagine,  though  per- 
haps not  that  he  is  much  given  to  taking  up  his 
domicile  within  human  beings.  Hardly  a  child 
in  Zanzibar  but  what  had  been  possessed.  So 
soon  as  a  new-born  babe  screams  too  vociferously, 
or  cannot  be  quieted,  at  once  steps  are  taken  to 
drive  out  the  devil.  Tiny  onions  and  garlic  bulbs 
arranged  in  a  necklace  for  the  child  form  the  sim- 
ple means  of  expulsion — not  a  bad  idea  if  the 
devil  has  a  nose.  Adults  too  are  frequently 
possessed,  though  far  oftenest  the  women.  The 
outer  signs  are  cramps,  loss  of  appetite,  listlessness, 
a  partiality  for  dark  rooms,  and  like  morbid 
symptoms. 

However,  in  order  to  find  out  if  they  are  gen- 
uinely afflicted,  a  formal  investigation  takes 
place.  They  or  their  relatives  invite  to  the  cere- 
mony a  company  of  individuals  all  reputed  to  be 
possessed.  The  patient  sits  in  a  dark  room, 
with  her  head  so  wrapped  up  that  not  the  faintest 
glimmer  of  light  could  penetrate.  She  is  fumigated 
in  the  literal  meaning  of  the  word,  for  the  censer 
is  held  beneath  her  nasal  organ  under  the  cloth. 
The  company  surround  her,  singing  a  peculiar 
song,  and  occasionally  wagging  their  heads.  Nor 
must  a  certain  Abyssinian  beverage  be  omitted, 
prepared  from  wheat  and  dates  brought  just 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  165 

within  fermentation,  and  making  a  rather  palatable 
drink.  Under  these  influences  the  heroine  of  the 
occasion  goes  into  a  sort  of  trance,  and  begins  to 
talk  incoherently.  At  last  she  raves,  stamps 
about,  foams  at  the  mouth.  She  is  now  filled 
with  the  spirit.  The  spectators  address  it,  inquir- 
ing as  to  its  intentions.  For  not  alone  evil  spirits 
but  good  spirits  visit  people,  to  comfort  and  pro- 
tect them  through  life.  It  may  happen  that  a 
person  is  visited  by  a  spirit  of  either  kind  simulta- 
neously, when  there  is  a  furious  battle,  and  none 
but  the  bravest  dare  stay  for  the  terrifying  con- 
jurations and  exorcisms.  An  evil  spirit  may  be 
expelled  by  a  practiced  seer,  but  with  a  good  one 
you  establish  a  compact:  it  must  only  at  stated 
times  visit  its  "prote'ge'e,"  by  whom  it  will  always 
be  festally  welcomed,  and  to  whom  it  must  reveal 
everything  in  store  for  herself  or  her  family. 

Connected  with  these  idiotic  superstitious  habits 
are  others  that  must  be  censured  as  brutal.  Many 
persons  possessed  will  not  allow  the  goats  and 
hens  chosen  for  their  secret  sacrificial  rites  to  be 
slaughtered  beforehand,  but  insist  on  drinking 
the  blood  warm.  Besides,  they  gobble  uncooked 
meat,  and  raw  eggs  by  the  dozen.  No  wonder  if 
the  poor  wretches  are  laid  up  as  a  result. 

The  worst  example  is  soonest  followed.  Al- 
though Mahometans  are  greatly  devoted  to  super- 
stitions, the  Omanites  reject  such  nonsensical 
practices  as  I  have  been  describing.  When  they 


1 66  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

come  to  Africa,  they  at  first  think  us  barbarians, 
and  would  like  to  return  immediately;  however, 
they  soon  become  receptive  to  the  very  notions 
they  denounced,  and  adopt  the  most  absurd. 
I  was  acquainted  with  an  Arabian  of  that  sort, 
who  believed  herself  possessed  by  an  evil  spirit 
which  made  her  ill;  she  was  convinced  that  it 
could  be  propitiated  if  she  held  festivities  in  its 
honour. 

It  seems  to  me  that  it  were  better  to  send 
female  physicians  to  Zanzibar  than  the  demoralis- 
ing brandy.  Why  must  civilisation  always  be 
heralded  by  vice?  Here  is  an  opportunity  for 
Christian  brotherly  love,  and  the  difficulties 
would  not  be  formidable.  For  my  own  part,  I 
would  willingly,  if  some  association  decided  upon 
a  suitable  emissary,  help  her  learn  Arabic  and 
Suahili — the  least  I  could  do  for  my  beloved 
country.  And  the  venture  ought  to  be  successful 
from  a  pecuniary  point  of  view.  But  the  doctor 
must  be  a  woman.  She  could  do  more  in  the 
East  than  a  dozen  men — even  here  ladies  often 
prefer  female  practitioners — and  the  hearts  of 
Orientals  are  easily  won  by  attentiveness,  cheer- 
fulness, and  kindness. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
SLAVERY 

A  RUINOUS  RELEASE  OF  SLAVES — IDLENESS  OF  THE 
NEGRO — A  DEFENCE  OF  FLOGGING — SLAVES 
AND  CONCUBINES  KEPT  BY  EUROPEANS  IN 
THE  EAST — TO  ABOLISH  A  TIME-HONOURED 
CUSTOM,  GO  SLOW — MOSLEM  "FANATICISM." 

I  WAS  still  a  child  when  the  term  expired  at  the 
end  of  which,  according  to  a  treaty  between 
England  and  Seyyid  Said,  slaveholding  British 
subjects  living  in  Zanzibar  were  obliged  to  release 
their  slaves.  It  was  a  hard  time  for  the  owners, 
who  complained  bitterly,  and  sent  their  wives 
and  daughters  to  enlist  our  sympathy,  though  of 
course  we  could  do  nothing  whatever  for  them. 
Some  kept  a  hundred  or  more  slaves  to  work  their 
estates,  which  without  labourers  ceased  to  yield 
revenues,  and  this  meant  ruin  to  the  landlords. 
Besides,  our  island  now  enjoyed  the  advantage 
of  being  enriched  by  the  presence  of  a  few  thou- 
sand loafers,  tramps,  and  thieves.  The  grown-up 
liberated  infants  understood  freedom  to  signify 
their  exemption  from  work  henceforth,  and  this 
freedom  they  determined  to  make  the  most  of, 
whether  they  were  entitled  to  shelter  and  sub- 
stance from  anyone,  or  not. 

167 


1 68  MEMOIRS  OF 

The  humane  anti-slavery  apostles  held  aloof. 
Had  they  not  attained  their  object  in  freeing 
those  poor  wretches  from  the  degradation  of 
serfdom?  It  was  no  concern  of  theirs  what 
might  happen  afterward,  and  quite  enough  was 
done  if  their  ladies  knitted  thick  woollen  stockings 
for  those  residents  of  the  equatorial  zone.  Let 
the  rulers  down  there  deal  with  the  lazy  vaga- 
bonds as  best  they  could.  For  everybody  who 
has  visited  Africa,  Brazil,  North  America,  or  any 
country  where  Negroes  live,  must  be  aware  of 
their  antipathy  against  work,  whatever  their 
virtues. 

Only  British  subjects,  I  repeat,  could  hold  no 
slaves  after  the  date  agreed  upon;  to  my  father 
England  had  no  right  to  dictate  concerning  the 
government  of  his  country,  and  therefore  slavery 
still  exists  in  Zanzibar,  as  it  does  in  all  Mahometan 
countries  of  the  East.  However,  one  must  not 
form  one's  views  on  serfdom  in  the  East  by  the 
precedents  of  North  America  and  Brazil,  since 
a  Mahometan's  slaves  are  infinitely  better  off. 

A  very  bad  feature  is  the  trading.  Taken 
from  the  interior,  they  have  to  make  long  marches 
to  the  coast,  when  they  perish  in  shoals  from 
hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue.  But  the  slave-trader, 
exposed  to  the  same  hardships  himself,  can  with 
no  show  of  reason  be  branded  a  monster.  His 
interest  demands  the  slaves'  preservation,  as  that 
caravan  may  represent  his  whole  fortune.  Their 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  169 

destination  once  reached,  they  are  thoroughly 
well  cared  for.  True,  they  must  labour  unpaid, 
but  they  are  exempt  from  all  anxiety,  and  assured 
of  their  maintenance,  their  masters  desiring  their 
welfare.  Or  is  every  non-Christian  a  heartless 
rascal  ? 

Now,  Negroes  are  very  lazy,  and  will  not  work 
voluntarily,  so  they  must  be  strictly  watched. 
Neither  are  they  perfect  angels,  for  they  include 
thieves,  drunkards,  runaways,  incendiaries.  What 
is  to  be  done  with  these?  To  let  them  go  un- 
punished would  be  out  of  the  question,  would 
mean  to  invite  anarchy.  And  a  creature  of  that 
class  laughs  at  incarceration;  he  would  feel  im- 
mensely pleased  at  the  prospect  of  resting  a  few 
days  in  a  cool  place,  to  gather  strength  for  new 
misdeeds.  Under  such  circumstances  nothing  re- 
mains but  the  lash.  This  gives  rise  to  a  great 
outcry  in  certain  circles  here,  that  always  go  upon 
abstract  theory,  and  disdain  studying  a  practical 
situation.  Yes,  flogging  is  inhuman ;  but  let  some- 
body provide  a  substitute.  By  the  way,  were  it 
not  better  to  administer  an  occasional  whipping 
in  German  prisons,  than  to  apply  spurious  "hu- 
manitarianism "  indiscriminately  to  jailbirds  of 
all  feathers? 

Tyranny  must  be  condemned,  whether  in- 
flicted upon  the  poor  Negro,  or  the  civilised  white 
toiling  in  a  Siberian  mine.  But  to  be  fair  you 
cannot  ask  the  same  standard  of  right  and  wrong 


170  MEMOIRS  OF 

for  every  place.  Slavery  is  a  time-honoured 
institution  among  Oriental  peoples;  that  it  will 
ever  be  entirely  abolished,  I  doubt;  in  any  case, 
attempts  to  destroy  venerable  custom  at  a  single 
dash  are  foolish.  Europeans  should  therefore 
go  slow,  and,  first  of  all  themselves  set  us  the  right 
example.  Numerous  Europeans  keep  slaves  in 
the  East,  buying  them  to  suit  their  convenience. 
This  is  not  reported  at  home,  or  is  said  to  be  done 
"for  the  good  of  science."  An  Arab  using  slaves 
for  field  or  housework,  and  a  European  compelling 
them  to  the  harder  task  of  carrier,  or  " coolie" — 
where's  the  difference  from  the  moral  standpoint? 
Then,  European  slave  owners  do  not  invariably 
set  the  negroes  free  after  long  service,  as  the  Arabs 
so  often  do,  but  resell  them. 

Considerable  indignation  once  seized  the  Ma- 
hometans of  Zanzibar  upon  learning  how  a  de- 
parting Englishman  had  sold  his  black  concubine — 
not,  to  be  sure,  in  the  open  market  place  (where  an 
English  church  now  stands),  but  quietly  to  an 
Arabian  official.  Or  another  incident  likewise 
affronting  our  sense  of  propriety:  A  neighbour  to 
the  French  consul  chastised  his  recalcitrant  slave 
as  severely  as  he  deserved,  but,  with  a  Negro's 
usual  cowardice  and  inability  to  bear  pain  in 
silence,  he  struck  up  a  frightful  howl,  which 
brought  down  the  French  consul's  rather  arrogant 
interference.  This  gentleman  was  himself  no 
immaculate  saint,  seeming  to  hold  the  maxim, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  171 

"let  others  practice  what  I  preach."  For  he  lived 
with  a  negress  he  had  bought,  who  had  presented 
to  him  an  excessively  black  little  daughter — 
finally  taken  in  by  the  French  mission. 

It  should  cause  no  surprise  if  upon  such  ex- 
periences the  Arabs  distrust  Europeans,  and  if 
they  long  for  the  return  of  the  days  when  they 
were  safe  from  intrusive,  subversive  ideas.  They 
believe  that  the  abolition  of  slavery  has  the  object 
of  ruining  them,  and  of  thus  upsetting  Islamism. 
The  English  they  particularly  suspect  as  crafty 
schemers. 

Should  the  real  possibility  exist  of  slavery's 
abrogation,  one  would  have  to  proceed  with  the 
utmost  slowness  and  care.  The  Negroes  must 
be  trained  to  think  and  to  work,  and  their  masters 
persuaded  how  the  employment  of  improved 
agricultural  machinery  would  enable  them  to  do 
without  hundreds  of  labourers  now  needed  to 
cultivate  their  fields.  The  proprietor  must  be 
made  to  recognise  that  no  one  intends  his  ruin, 
and  that  justice  is  for  him  as  well  as  for  the  serf. 
This  would  surely  be  more  humane,  more  Chris- 
tian, than  ostentatiously  building  a  church  in  the 
slave  market,  which  was  superfluous,  by  the  way, 
because  the  two  churches  already  standing,  one 
Catholic,  the  other  Protestant,  had  small  congre- 
gations. Any  such  methods  can  only  affront 
the  Arab,  who,  like  most  other  Orientals,  is  ex- 
tremely conservative,  and  clings  with  the  greatest 


i;2  MEMOIRS  OF 

tenacity  to  ancient  traditions.  He  ought  therefore 
not  to  have  new  ideas  violently  forced  upon  him 
which  he  finds  incomprehensible  and  outrageous. 
Disagreement  with  European  views  brings  upon 
him  the  immediate  accusation  of  Moslem 
fanaticism,  a  thing  vastly  exaggerated,  as  was 
proved  when  I  returned  to  Zanzibar  after  an 
absence  of  nineteen  years.  I  had  in  the  meantime 
turned  Christian,  so  that,  being  a  .renegade,  I 
deserved  my  countrymen's  hatred  worse  than  if 
I  had  been  born  one,  but  they  all  welcomed  me, 
with  frank  cordiality  commending  me  to  God's 
protection.  It  is  not  fanaticism  but  the  instinct 
of  self-preservation  that  animates  them  when 
their  cherished  institutions  are  assailed  by  ignorant 
or  unworthy  representatives  of  Christianity. 

Negroes  are  usually  indifferent  to  any  creed,  and 
their  conversion  frequently  depends  on  what 
substantial  inducements  the  missionaries  can  offer. 
An  English  clergyman  in  Zanzibar  once  complained 
to  me  that  the  number  of  his  flock  varied  with 
the  state  of  the  supplies  sent  out  to  him  from  home. 
Before  the  Negro  can  be  embarked  on  a  higher 
spiritual  plane,  he  must  have  the  religious  instinct 
awakened  in  him.  Here  again,  you  must  go  slow ! 

In  case  I  should  be  thought  prejudiced  on  the 
score  of  unremunerated  labour  by  blacks,  I  refer 
my  readers  to  recent  European  testimony  on  the 
subject.  Firstly,  there  are  the  communications 
of  Reichhard  to  the  German  African  Society,  and 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  173 

secondly  Mr.  Joseph  Thomson's  book  "To  the 
Central  African  Lakes  and  Back" — both  published 
in  1 88 1.  Let  me  conclude  by  quoting  what  an 
Englishman  said  to  me,  after  I  had  left  Zanzibar. 
He  simply  characterised  the  whole  anti-slavery 
movement,  with  all  its  public  meetings,  as 
"humbug." 


CHAPTER  XVII 
HISTORY  OF  A  DYNASTIC  PLOT 

THE  AUTHORESS  LOSES  HER  MOTHER — FAMILY  DIS- 
SENSIONS— PRINCESS    SALAMAH'S    EQUIVOCAL 

POSITION — SHE  CASTS  IN  HER  LOT  WITH  BAR- 
GASH WHO  ASPIRES  TO  THE  CROWN  AND  FORMS 

A  CONSPIRACY  TO  DETHRONE  MAJID — BAR- 
GASH'S  HOUSE  SURROUNDED — HIS  ABDUCTION 
IN  WOMAN'S  GARB — DEFEAT  OF  HIS  PARTISANS 
HIS  RETURN — AND  REJECTION  OF  MAJID'S 

PEACEFUL  OVERTURES — THE  PRETENDER'S 
HOUSE  FIRED  ON  BY  BRITISH  MARINES — SUB- 
MISSION AND  BANISHMENT  OF  BARGASH 

SINCE  my  father's  death  I  had  lived  at  Bet  il  Tani 
with  my  mother  and  Chole,  happy  in  their  love 
and  friendship.  Then,  after  three  years  of  my 
complete  felicity,  an  epidemic  of  cholera  swept 
the  whole  island  of  Zanzibar,  carrying  off  several 
people  of  our  household  every  day.  It  was  during 
the  hottest  season  that  this  epidemic  broke  out. 
One  night,  unable  to  sleep  in  my  bed  owing  to 
the  oppressive  temperature,  I  ordered  my  maid 
to  spread  a  soft  mat  on  the  floor,  hoping  thus  to 
find  coolness  and  rest. 

Imagine  my  surprise,  when,  upon  awaking,  I 
found  my  dearly  beloved  mother  writhing  in  pain 

174 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  175 

at  my  feet.  In  answer  to  my  alarmed  enquiry 
about  her  state,  she  moaned  that  she  had  spent 
half  the  night  there;  feeling  that  the  cholera 
would  take  her  away,  she  wanted  to  be  near  me 
in  her  last  moments.  My  dear  mother's  sufferings 
from  the  dread  malady  distracted  me  the  more  as 
I  was  unable  to  alleviate  them.  Two  days  she 
resisted,  and  then  left  me  forever.  My  grief  knew 
no  bounds;  I  paid  no  heed  to  any  warnings, 
but  clung  desperately  to  my  mother's  body,  in 
spite  of  the  danger  of  contagion.  For  I  desired 
nothing  more  fervently  than  that  God  should  call 
me  to  Him  with  the  dear  departed.  The  disease 
spared  me  however,  and  I  bowed  my  heart  in 
resignation  to  the  All-merciful  and  All-wise. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  I  was  now  alone,  fatherless 
and  motherless,  drifting  like  a  ship  without  its 
rudder  on  the  open  sea.  My  mother  had  always 
guided  me  with  prudence  and  good  sense,  and  I 
suddenly  stood  confronted  by  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  an  adult,  having  to  care 
not  for  myself  alone,  but  for  my  dependants 
too.  Happily,  the  Lord  has  ordained  that  recogni- 
tion of  a  duty  is  mostly  accompanied  by  the 
strength  to  carry  it  out.  So  I  was  able  to  survey 
my  position  calmly,  to  arrange  my  affairs  without 
calling  in  foreign  assistance. 

Yet  new  troubles  lay  ahead:  almost  involun- 
tarily I  found  myself  entangled  in  a  plot  against 
my  noble  brother  Majid! 


176  MEMOIRS  OF 

It  looked  as  though,  after  my  father's  death, 
discord  had  come  to  reign  among  us  forever. 
Difficult  as  the  maintenance  of  perfect  harmony 
between  thirty-six  brothers  and  sisters  might  have 
been  under  any  circumstances,  upon  Seyyid  Said's 
decease  we  divided  into  congenial  groups  of  three 
or  four.  To  strangers  this  situation  was  incom- 
prehensible; even  our  closest  acquaintances  could 
not  always  make  out  the  intricate  factional  system 
that  prevailed.  A  loyal  friend  of  my  brother's, 
an  intimate  of  my  sister's,  must  forsooth  become 
my  bitterest  foe,  unless  belonging  to  my  particular 
circle.  Though  such  a  state  of  strife  could  have 
none  but  disastrous  consequences,  we  were  blinded 
by  passion,  and  unreasonably  pursued  one  another 
with  hot  hatred. 

Personal  intercourse  soon  ceased  altogether. 
The  numerous  spies  we  all  kept  widened  the  gulf 
by  reporting  each  word  or  move  of  an  enemy. 
At  night  these  worthies  would  appear  for  their 
reward,  which  varied  according  to  the  value  or  the 
venom  of  their  news.  Sometimes  a  hooded  figure 
knocked  at  the  porter's  gate  for  admittance  after 
midnight,  and  we  were  roused  from  sleep  to  inter- 
view the  informer,  who  would  depart  lavishly 
compensated. 

Majid  and  Chole  were  on  the  best  of  terms  at 
that  time,  which  pleased  me  greatly,  since  I  loved 
them  both  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart;  they 
had  treated  me  as  if  I  had  been  their  own  child 


Copyright  by  Maull  &  Fox,  London 


NASIR  BIN  SAID 
One  of  the  royal  family,  visiting  England  with  Bargash 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  177 

after  my  mother's  death.  Yet  the  good  feeling 
between  them  cooled  by  degrees  on  account  of  my 
brother  Bargash,  a  complete  rupture  finally  en- 
suing. Dearly  as  I  was  attached  to  Chole,  I 
sorrowfully  confess  that  she,  not  Majid,  was  at 
fault — although  I  cannot  here  detail  the  acts 
which  led  to  the  breach. 

For  myself  this  proved  a  period  of  inward 
struggles.  Living  with  Chole,  I  took  my  meals 
with  her,  and  during  the  day  we  were  inseparable. 
When  she  began  to  avoid  Majid,  and  to  show 
animosity  toward  him  in  every  way — quite  with- 
out cause — I  hoped  I  could  remain  neutral;  in- 
deed, I  ventured  to  defend  my  innocent  brother, 
whose  only  transgression  lay  in  the  point  that  he, 
instead  of  Bargash,  was  Sultan.  Months  and 
months  I  found  myself  'twixt  two  fires,  so  to  speak, 
hesitating  which  side  to  enlist  on,  and  when  the 
moment  came  that  a  decision  brooked  no  further 
delay  joined  my  sister  Chole,  who,  though  she  was 
in  the  wrong,  I  yet  seemed  to  cherish  most,  and 
whose  ascendancy  over  me  had  grown  absolute. 

Majid,  a  thoroughly  noble-minded  man,  had 
earned  the  love  of  his  whole  people;  but  he  was 
ailing,  and  could  not  himself  attend  to  all  state 
affairs,  consequently  leaving  many  of  these  to  his 
ministers.  One  of  them,  Soliman  bin  Ali,  un- 
fortunately possessed  the  knack  of  making  him- 
self indispensable.  A  cunning  rogue,  he  gradually 
contrived  to  render  his  will  supreme  in  the  land; 


1 78  MEMOIRS  OF 

the  other  ministers  became  mere  ciphers.  His 
arrogance  prompted  him  to  play  master  at  every 
opportunity.  Withal,  he  had  not  reached  the 
years  which  Arabs  respect,  but  was  green  as 
grass,  and  a  licentious  fop  into  the  bargain.  In 
his  conceit  and  craft  he  sued  for  the  hand  of  one 
of  my  stepmothers,  mature  enough  to  have  been 
his  own  mother;  he  intended  to  get  her  large 
fortune  into  his  clutches,  and  she  was  foolish 
enough  to  accept  him — bitterly  ruing  it  after 
the  marriage. 

So  this  evil  spirit  gained  a  commanding  in- 
fluence over  Majid,  at  the  same  time  surrepti- 
tiously fanning  the  flames  of  discord  among  the 
Sultan's  brothers  and  sisters,  the  more  firmly 
to  establish  his,  Soliman's,  power.  Quarrel  after 
quarrel  occurred  in  our  family,  notables  were 
neglected  or  slighted,  and  things  came  to  such  a 
pass  that  finally  loud  public  murmurs  were  heard. 
It  was  a  blessing  that  at  least  one  faithful,  com- 
petent minister  remained,  who  to  some  extent 
counteracted  Soliman's  malignancy  and  his  errors. 
But  upon  his  other  advisers  Majid  could  not  rely 
with  certainty,  which  facilitated  Bargash's  course 
in  fostering  hostility  to  him  among  our  relatives 
and  the  people.  As  Majid  had  but  one  daughter 
and  no  sons,  Bargash  came  next  in  succession; 
that  two  elder  brothers,  Muhammad  and  Tueni, 
still  survived  counted  for  nothing:  they  lived  in 
Oman,  and  Oman  was  a  long  way  off.  An  Eastern 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  179 

heir-presumptive  to  a  throne  is  always  in  haste 
to  rule,  without  minutely  considering  the  prior 
rights  of  someone  else,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  his 
ambition  too  often  throws  scruples  and  fairness 
to  the  winds. 

Thus  Bargash.  Frustrated  in  seizing  the  reins 
of  government  upon  the  death  of  his  father, 
Seyyid  Said,  he  had  nevertheless  clung  to  hope, 
and  his  plans  appeared  to  take  a  propitious  turn 
after  he  came  into  town,  with  his  sister  Meje 
from  Bet  il  Mtoni.  Their  house  lay  opposite  that 
occupied  by  Chole  and  myself.  Scarcely  had  the 
pair  across  the  street  settled  down,  when  a  warm 
friendship  sprung  up  between  Chole  and  Bargash, 
who  would  sometimes  spend  the  whole  day  with 
us.  At  this  Meje  took  offence,  which,  being 
voiced  in  the  presence  of  others,  resulted  in  the 
two  women  becoming  severely  estranged.  They 
ended  by  ignoring  each  other  if  they  met,  and 
peace  vanished  altogether  from  the  two  house- 
holds. Glad  though  I  felt  to  be  no  partisan 
concerning  this  new  quarrel,  the  angry  sisters 
yet  drew  me  into  it  through  sheer  talking  at  me. 
My  intimacy  with  two  nieces  of  mine,  Shembua 
and  Farshu,  brought  them  close  to  Bargash,  so 
that  they  entered  the  league.  They  too  lived 
opposite  my  house  and  Chole's,  Bargash's  resi- 
dence being  separated  from  theirs  by  a  narrow 
lane. 

Bargash's  principal  endeavour  was  to  win  over 


i8o  MEMOIRS  OF 

as  many  notables  and  chiefs  as  he  could.  The 
Arabs  aro  divided  into  countless  tribes,  of  greater 
or  lesser  importance,  each  paying  unconditioned 
obedience  to  its  chief.  Naturally,  therefore,  every 
prince  strives  to  gain  the  adherence  of  one  or 
more  such  chiefs — which  he  secures  openly,  or, 
by  preference,  in  secret — that  he  may  have  some 
support  to  reckon  upon  in  time  of  need.  Promises 
of  preferment  of  course  play  a  great  part  in  these 
negotiations.  No  tribe  will  ever  desert  its  chief, 
so  strong  is  loyalty  and  devotion  among  the 
Arabs.  One  able  to  write  puts  the  name  of  his 
tribe  under  his  own;  my  full  signature  includes 
the  name  Lebu  Saidi,  the  small  but  valiant  tribe 
to  which  we  belong.  Entering  into  close  rela- 
tions, then,  with  several  native  chiefs,  Bargash  by 
degrees  formed  a  sort  of  little  court,  and  this 
started  a  scandal.  Besides,  the  persons  most 
frequently  gathering  at  his  house  had  bad  reputa- 
tions; they  were  a  disorderly,  turbulent  crew. 
All  decent  people  of  course  held  aloof  from  his- 
scheming  and  plotting.  Still  there  were  plenty 
of  self-seekers,  disappointed  or  vindictive,  ready 
to  help  him,  dozens  of  whom  imagined  themselves 
already  promoted  to  high  office,  endowed  with 
some  other  good  place,  or  installed  as  comfortable 
beneficiaries — but  all  intent  upon  serving  their 
own  interests,  not  their  patron's. 

As  these  followers  grew  in  number,  the  details 
of  the  projected  rising  took  definite  form.     Majid, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  181 

in  short,  was  to  be  seized,  and  Bargash  pro- 
claimed Sultan.  At  all  hazards,  an  armed  conflict 
must  be  prepared  for.  Meeting  after  meeting 
was  held  under  Bargash's  presidence  in  the  night, 
before  the  moon  rose  or  after  it  went  down. 
Feverish  excitement  and  universal  mistrust  pre- 
vailed. We  perpetually  believed  ourselves 
watched  and  spied  upon;  often  we  did  the  ser- 
vants' work,  so  as  to  keep  them  away  and  ignorant 
of  our  plans.  We  women  stopped  making  visits, 
and  would  rarely  receive  any.  Bargash  waxed 
hotter,  and  more  overtly  demonstrative.  He 
began  to  neglect  the  Sultan's  daily  audiences, 
ultimately  refraining  from  attendance  altogether. 
This  was  looked  upon — in  consonance  with  Zan- 
zibar traditions — as  signifying  a  rebellious  spirit, 
and  a  subject  ostentatiously  so  offending  was  liable 
to  punishment.  No  one  could  now  but  suspect 
Bargash's  hostility;  in  fact  he  himself  commenced 
to  act  with  such  recklessness,  that  the  vigilance 
of  the  royalists  became  thoroughly  aroused  and 
his  success  in  laying  hands  on  Majid  very 
doubtful. 

The  Sultan  made  a  final  attempt  to  wean  me 
from  my  false  notions  before  it  should  be  too  late. 
Since,  under  the  existing  circumstances,  he  could 
not  visit  me  in  person,  and  I  had  long  shunned 
his  palace,  he  sent  a  favourite  stepmother  of  mine 
to  plead  with  me.  He  begged  me  to  desist  from 
plotting  with  his  enemies,  who  were  making  a 


1 82  MEMOIRS  OF 

tool  of  me,  and  from  whom  I  might  expect  no 
reward;  on  the  other  hand,  I  might  regret  the 
consequences  of  persisting  in  my  obduracy,  for 
if  there  should  be  any  firing  my  house  could  not  be 
spared.  But  before  my  high-minded  brother's 
warning  arrived,  I  was  already  pledged  to  Chole 
and  the  pretender,  and  felt  myself  solemnly  bound 
by  the  promise.  My  stepmother  left  me  with 
tears  running  down  her  cheeks. 

Although  the  youngest  member  of  the  con- 
spiracy, on  account  of  my  being  able  to  write  I 
was  made  secretary-general,  as  it  were,  and  did 
all  the  correspondence  with  the  chiefs.  Never- 
theless I  was  old  enough  to  feel  pangs  of  conscience ; 
I  winced  at  having  to  order  guns,  powder,  and  shot 
for  the  destruction  of  innocent  lives.  Yet  what 
could  I  do?  Was  I  to  break  my  word,  and 
abandon  my  beloved  sister  in  the  hour  of  peril? 
Never!  My  devotion  to  Chole  influenced  me 
far  more  than  any  leaning  toward  her  brother. 
He,  the  son  of  an  Abyssinian,  is  a  highly  talented 
man,  distancing  all  of  us  in  perspicacity  and 
shrewdness.  Proud,  overbearing,  imperious,  he 
was  credited  with  a  forcible  character.  How 
little  he  was  liked  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  of 
our  whole  family  none  but  we  four  women  and 
our  twelve- year-old  brother  Abd  il  Aziz,  Chole's 
ward,  actually  went  over  to  his  side. 

Despite  the  vigilance  with  which  our  movements 
were  watched,  we  continued  as  before,  sometimes 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  183 

meeting  under  auspices  extremely  perilous.  We 
fixed  the  day  for  an  open  revolt.  Then,  suddenly, 
Bargash's  house  was  surrounded  by  troops.  We 
of  course  expected  the  same  fate,  and  that  would 
have  meant  the  death  of  every  hope.  Indeed, 
as  afterward  transpired,  the  ministers  and  some 
other  officials  had  advocated  a  blockade  of  the 
three  dwellings,  to  which  Majid  had  refused  his 
consent  because  he  wanted  us  women  spared. 

Our  plans  had  to  be  entirely  changed.  It  was 
decided  that  all  Bargash's  partisans  should  as- 
semble at  the  estate  of  Marseille,  near  the  capital, 
where  they  should  entrench  themselves.  This 
was  no  bad  idea,  since  Marseille  could  easily  be 
turned  into  a  fortress,  and  could  shelter  several 
hundred  men.  Thence,  accordingly,  arms,  am- 
munition and  provisions  were  transported;  the 
soldiers  levied  were  quartered  close  by.  From 
the  new  centre  of  agitation  the  cause  would  be 
propagated  throughout  the  island.  By  straining 
every  nerve  we  succeeded  promptly;  without  a 
regular  treasury  for  the  expenses,  we  each  contri- 
buted as  we  were  able  out  of  our  private  resources, 
not  omitting  to  furnish  a  quantity  of  well-armed 
slaves. 

Our  work  done  of  establishing  Marseille  as  the 
conspiracy's  new  focus,  we  meditated  a  grand 
stroke.  We  concluded  to  abduct  Bargash  from 
his  residence,  so  that  he  might  escape  to  Marseille, 
and  direct  affairs  from  that  place  himself.  Fully 


1 84  MEMOIRS  OF 

appreciating  the  terrible  danger  of  the  enterprise, 
we  were  equally  undaunted  in  our  resolution  to 
carry  it  through. 

On  the  memorable  evening  Chole  and  I  left  our 
house  with  a  large  retinue;  in  the  street  we  were 
joined  by  our  nieces  with  their  servants,  as 
prearranged.  The  whole  company  proceeded  to 
Bargash's  door.  Here  our  van  was  stopped  by  the 
soldiers,  these  having  no  idea  who. was  following. 
Upon  being  thus  brought  to  a  halt,  I  complained  in 
a  loud  tone  of  the  unwarrantable  indignity,  and 
peremptorily  ordered  the  captain  to  be  called 
for.  This  was  an  utter  violation  of  custom  and 
etiquette,  but  the  issue  justified  anything,  and 
the  officer  was  dumfounded  when  Chole  and  I 
stepped  out  of  the  procession  to  accost  him.  We 
began  arguing  at  him  violently  for  allowing  his 
command  to  interfere  with  us;  speechless  at  first, 
he  then  muttered  excuses,  and  finally  gave  way 
before  our  insistence  upon  visiting  the  prisoners. 
He  even  acceded  to  our  request  that  we  be  granted 
a  certain  space  of  time. 

Inside,  we  found  both  Meje  and  Bargash  excited 
to  the  verge  of  distraction.  They  had  peeped 
down  from  a  window,  and  witnessed  the  dispute 
upon  the  result  of  which  hinged  success  or  ruina- 
tion. A  fresh  difficulty  arose,  however,  when 
Bargash,  in  his  virile  pride,  objected  to  donning 
female  garments,  a  juncture  the  more  embarrassing 
as  there  was  none  too  much  time  available.  At 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  185 

last  he  allowed  us  to  dress  him  up  so  that  only  his 
eyes  were  left  visible,  and  little  Abd  il  Aziz  we 
attired  similarly.  Before  starting  we  offered  a 
prayer  to  the  Omnipotent. 

With  Bargash  between  the  tallest  women,  we 
quitted  the  house  in  leisurely  fashion,  chatting 
unconcernedly,  though  trembling  the  while  lest 
the  soldiers  should  suspect  anything.  But  they 
made  way  for  the  procession  with  the  deference 
due  to  our  rank,  and  we  went  on  unmolested. 
Once  outside  the  town,  Bargash  and  the  boy 
got  rid  of  their  disguises,  bade  us  a  hasty  farewell, 
and  vanished  in  the  direction  of  Marseille. 

The  rest  of  us  returned  home  in  small  groups  and 
by  circuitous  paths.  It  may  readily  be  conceived 
that  sleep  was  out  of  the  question  that  night. 
Overcome  by  the  frightful  strain  of  the  adventure, 
anticipating  the  morrow  with  terrified  forebodings, 
and  conscious  that  we  had  perhaps  narrowly 
escaped  death,  we  gave  free  vent  to  groans  and 
tears,  some  fainting  away  from  weakness.  All 
night  we  imagined  we  heard  the  tramp  of  horses 
and  the  firing  of  muskets. 

No  later  than  seven  o'clock  came  the  disastrous 
tidings  that  our  enemies  were  apprised  of  what 
had  happened.  The  government  could  do  nothing 
but  meet  the  open  rebellion  by  force,  and  therefore 
despatched  several  thousand  troops,  with  artillery, 
to  Marseille.  That  charming  palace  completely 
demolished,  the  outnumbered  conspirators  fled 


1 86  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  disorder  after  a  short,  sharp  engagement  costing 
hundreds  of  innocent  lives. 

The  reader  will  inquire  how  we  women  were 
punished  for  our  daring  participation  in  the  revolt. 
We  got  no  punishment  whatever!  Had  not  the 
decision  rested  with  the  high-souled  Majid,  surely 
we  must  have  come  off  less  well,  our  machinations 
deserving  a  severe  penalty. 

The  next  news  was  that  Bargash,  his  men  being 
routed,  had  come  back  to  town,  and  entered  his 
house  by  stealth.  Of  course  everyone  thought  his 
intention  was  voluntary  surrender  to  his  brother. 
Majid,  in  fact,  tried  to  make  the  expected  act  of 
submission  easy  for  him.  Instead  of  soldiers,  he 
sent  his  nephew  Suud  bin  Hilal,  with  the  message 
that  he  would  forgive  and  forget,  upon  Bargash's 
promise  to  renounce  such  doings  for  the  future. 
Suud,  a  mild,  benevolent  individual,  went  alone 
on  his  embassy,  to  show  how  peacefully  the  Sultan 
was  disposed.  Bargash  began  by  refusing  him 
admission,  demanding  that  the  envoy — his  senior 
by  many  years — should  communicate  the  message 
from  the  street.  Suud  naturally  declined,  and 
after  a  long  wait  the  door  was  opened  just  wide 
enough  to  let  him  in.  He  then  found  himself 
obliged  to  climb  up,  literally  to  climb  up,  the 
barricaded  stairway.  At  the  top  he  had  to  crawl 
through  a  trapdoor,  after  a  heavy  chest  had  been 
removed  from  it.  Not  content  with  forcing 
Majid's  ambassador  to  enter  in  this  humiliating 


Copyright  by  Maull  &  Fox,  London 


TARIA  TOPON 

An  East  Indian  merchant  who  accompanied  Bargash  to  England 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  187 

manner,  Bargash  frustrated  his  mission  by  emphati- 
cally rejecting  the  Sultan's  indulgent  proposals. 

Such  obstinacy  now  left  Majid  no  alternative 
but  a  second  resort  to  violent  measures,  much  as 
he  shrunk  from  them.  The  English  consul,  with 
whom  he  conferred,  persuaded  him  of  the  necessity 
of  putting  a  final  stop  to  these  protracted  dis- 
turbances, and  offered  his  assistance  to  that  end. 
A  British  gunboat,  which  happened  to  be  lying 
in  the  harbour,  was  to  heave  to  opposite  Bargash's 
palace,  land  a  party  of  marines,  and,  if  this  demon- 
stration failed,  begin  a  bombardment.  In  effect^ 
the  marines  commenced  by  aiming  a  few  rounds 
of  rifle  fire  at  Bargash's  house,  himself  fleeing  to 
its  rear,  with  Meje  and  Abd  il  Aziz,  for  safety  from 
the  bullets  whizzing  about  their  ears. 

At  the  first  shot  Chole  burst  into  convulsive 
tears,  cursing  Majid  and  the  government  and  the 
English  one  after  the  other,  accusing  them  all  in 
turn  of  wronging  us  outrageously.  As  the  mus- 
ketry firing  waxed  vigorous,  the  whole  household 
went  into  a  panic,  for  our  residence  was  behind 
Bargash's,  so  that  we  were  likewise  exposed.  Old 
and  young,  high  and  low,  lost  their  wits.  Some 
bade  eternal  farewells;  some  begged  each  other's 
pardon  for  past  offences;  the  coolest  began  to 
pack  up  with  a  view  to  flight;  others  stood  about 
wailing  and  lamenting,  incapable  of  thought  or 
action;  others,  again,  set  to  praying,  wherever 
they  happened  to  be,  in  the  corridors,  on  the  stairs, 


1 88  MEMOIRS  OF 

in  the  courtyard,  on  the  roof,  which  was  protected 
by  a  palisade.  The  example  of  these  last  found 
followers,  and  by  degrees  the  general  agitation 
gave  room  to  the  calming  assurance  that  not  man's 
will  but  the  Lord's  must  ever  prevail,  that  human 
destinies  are  settled  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world  by  the  All-merciful  and  the  All-wise.  Thus 
did  we  all  devoutly  sink  upon  our  knees,  our 
foreheads  next  to  the  ground,  betokening  deepest 
humility  and  resignation  in  the  face  of  God. 

The  peril  increasing  apace,  Chole  at  last  made 
our  obstinate  brother  consent  to  submit.  Con- 
trary to  every  rule  of  propriety  she  ran  to  the 
English  consul's  in  person,  with  this  information 
and  the  request  that  hostilities  might  cease.  At 
that  time  the  Britons  did  not  enjoy  their  present 
power  in  East  Africa;  they  had  as  little  voice  in 
Zanzibar's  domestic  affairs  as,  let  us  say,  the 
Turks  in  Germany's.  Since  1875,  only,  have  cir- 
cumstances materially  changed — thanks  to  Eng- 
land's slave  policy — in  her  favour  and  in  the 
direction  of  our  people's  total  ruin. 

Chole  did  not  find  the  consul,  but  as  the  occu- 
pants of  Bargash's  house  were  just  then  exclaiming: 
"  Peace,  peace!"  to  the  marines,  the  firing  stopped, 
and  a  greater  calamity  was  averted.  Had  the 
gunboat  actually  bombarded  the  pretender's 
palace,  not  he  but  a  different  Sultan  would  now 
be  sitting  on  the  throne  of  Zanzibar,  and  I  should 
never  have  come  to  Europe. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  189 

To  prevent  like  conspiracies  from  recurring,  it 
was  determined  that  Bargash  be  exiled  to  Bombay, 
and  thither  he  was  taken  in  a  British  warship, 
accompanied  (voluntarily)  by  Abd  il  Aziz.  This 
was  done  upon  the  English  consul's  advice.  Prob- 
ably the  Britons  wanted  to  keep  Majid's  heir  pre- 
sumptive in  their  own  hands,  with  the  object  of 
training  him  nicely  to  suit  their  own  schemes. 
Two  years  he  lived  in  Bombay,  when  he  returned 
quietly  to  Zanzibar,  and  finally,  upon  Majid's 
death  in  1870,  succeeded  to  the  long  coveted 
crown. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
A  TERM  OF  RURAL  RESIDENCE 

COMPLICATED      RELATIONS       WITH      AN       INVISIBLE 
STEWARD — LIFE  ON    THE    PLANTATION    OF    KIS- 

IMBANI — AND  OF  BUBUBU SALE  OF  BUBUBU — 

IN  TOWN  AGAIN RECONCILIATION  WITH  MAJID 

— QUARREL  WITH  CHOLE — ORIENTAL  HATRED 
OF  DISSEMBLANCE — GREAT  FIDELITY  IN  FRIEND- 
SHIP 

OUR  enterprise,  begun  with  such  high  hopes,  and 
so  thoroughly  set  at  naught,  had  cost  us  dear. 
Though  my  nieces  were  rich  enough  to  take  their 
losses  lightly,  many  of  our  finest  slaves  had  fallen, 
and  others,  invalided  or  mutilated,  constantly 
brought  back  to  our  memory  the  disaster  we  had 
stirred  up.  But  this  was  the  least  punishment 
we  could  expect  to  reap  from  the  evil  we  had  sown. 
Much  worse  was  it  for  us — Chole,  Meje,  my  two 
nieces,  and  me — to  be  conspicuously  avoided  and 
ignored  by  all  of  our  rightminded  relations  and 
friends,  and  simultaneously  to  feel  that  this 
treatment  was  fully  justified.  Other  people,  who 
disliked  us,  or  hoped  to  curry  favour  with  the 
authorities  by  talebearing,  took  the  greatest  pains 
to  go  on  spying  upon  us.  To  ourselves  this  mat- 
tered little,  for  our  cause  was  now  lost  beyond 

190 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  191 

redemption;  but  the  fact  that  we  were  still  under 
suspicion,  and  being  watched,  kept  away  our  few 
remaining  friends,  while  even  the  crafty  Banyans 
shunned  us  for  a  long  time,  eventually  slinking  in 
at  night  to  praise  up  their  Indian  wares  as  impu- 
dently as  ever.  Our  houses,  once  all  a-flutter, 
like  dovecotes,  with  people  coming  and  going, 
were  now  oppressively  lone  and  dreary,  unfre- 
quented by  a  single  soul  from  the  outside  world. 
This  situation  becoming  unendurable,  I  resolved 
to  retire  to  one  of  my  estates;  my  four  erstwhile 
accomplices  soon  imitated  my  example,  and  left 
town  to  live  in  the  country. 

Since  my  mother's  death  I  had  rarely  been  to 
any  of  my  three  plantations,  and  then  only  for  a 
couple  of  days  at  a  time;  after  all  my  late  vicis- 
situdes, and  all  the  discordant  strife,  I  was  there- 
fore prepared  to  enjoy  a  term  of  rural  residence 
doubly.  I  chose  Kisimbani  as  the  place  dis- 
tinguished by  my  dear  mother's  preference  and 
by  memories  of  her  frequent  visits  there.  But  I 
also  realised  that  I  must  take  upon  me  the  dis- 
advantages besetting  Arabian  ladies  who  live 
alone,  because  of  their  enforced  independence  of 
male  advisers. 

The  tyrannous  etiquette  of  our  country  forbids 
us  to  speak  even  with  our  own  functionaries  if 
these  be  free  men.  Orders  and  accounts  must 
then  be  transmitted  through  slaves,  and  as  but 
few  noblewomen  understand  writing  few  single 


1 92  MEMOIRS  OF 

ladies  ever  see  a  balance  sheet  from  their  stewards. 
If  they  provide  the  supplies  for  the  household, 
and  remit  so  much  hard  cash  after  the  harvest, 
the  mistress  is  usually  quite  satisfied.  These 
revenues  are  produced  by  the  disposal  of  cloves 
and  cocoanuts;  potatoes,  yams,  and  other  things 
coming  out  of  the  ground,  we  are  too  proud  to 
sell,  and  the  steward  may  do  what  he  pleases  with 
any  of  them  not  needed  for  our  home  consumption. 

While  I  lived  in  town  my  steward  Hassan  came 
every  week  or  fortnight  to  hand  in  his  report, 
through  one  of  my  domestic  slaves,  and  to  ask  for 
instructions,  which  I  sent  him  through  the  same 
channel.  To  meet  cases  like  this  a  room  is  re- 
served on  the  ground  floor,  where  the  men  rest  after 
their  long  ride  on  muleback,  and  refresh  them- 
selves with  food  and  drink  before  returning  home. 
Now,  however,  when  I  intended  to  stay  at  Kisim- 
bani,  Hassan  became  inconvenient;  the  poor  fellow 
himself  had  to  keep  hiding  and  dodging  lest  he 
should  accidentally  see  one  of  us  women.  I 
therefore  transferred  him  to  another  plantation, 
appointing  an  Abyssinian — a  slave,  not  a  freeman 
— in  his  stead,  who  was  intelligent  (he  knew  how 
to  read  and  write)  and  energetic.  The  Abys- 
sinians  in  general  are  smart  people,  and  we  would 
buy  them  rather  than  Negroes  when  we  had  the 
choice. 

So  I  could  go  about  the  estate  to  my  heart's  con- 
tent, without  fearing  to  embarrass  my  steward. 


Photograph  by  Coutinho  Brothers,  Zanzibar 

SUAHILI  MOTHER  AND  CHILD 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  193 

My  domestic  animals  afforded  me  much 
pleasure;  I  spent  several  hours  among  them 
daily.  I  also  enjoyed  comforting  the  old  and 
sick  in  their  small,  low  huts,  my  servants  taking 
dainties  to  them  from  my  abundant  table.  The 
slaves'  children — a  sort  of  dividend  accruing  to 
the  owner  of  the  parents — I  had  sent  to  me  each 
morning,  to  be  washed  at  the  well  with  rassel,  and 
then  fed.  Rassel  is  made  from  the  foliage  of  an 
Eastern  tree,  whose  leaves,  dried  and  powdered, 
produce  a  foamy  substance  through  contact  with 
water,  thus  resembling  soap.  Until  their  pro- 
genitors came  back  from  the  fields,  at  four  in  the 
afternoon,  I  kept  them  in  the  courtyard,  where 
they  played  games  under  the  eye  of  a  trustworthy 
female  serf.  This  was  better  for  the  little  urchins 
than  being  carried  about  in  the  sun  all  day  tied 
on  their  mothers'  backs. 

The  free,  untrammelled  country  life  agreed  with 
me  thoroughly ;  I  was  delighted  to  have  exchanged 
the  tumults  of  the  town  for  this  charming  rural 
place.  Obedient  to  etiqeutte,  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  the  neighbouring  notables  called 
upon  me,  and  soon  I  had  guests  in  the  house 
for  weeks,  even  months,  together.  Strangers,  too, 
sometimes  came  to  rest  in  the  men's  room  after  a 
tiresome  journey.  This  is  an  old  custom  with  us. 
Kisimbani  being  situated  at  the  junction  of  two 
busy  roads,  the  number  of  these  birds  of  pas- 
sage was  always  considerable. 


194  MEMOIRS  OF 

I  maintained  regular  communication  with  the 
town.  On  alternate  days  two  mounted  slaves 
rode  in,  and  brought  me  back  the  news.  Two 
or  three  times  a  week,  besides,  I  sent  in  a  maid 
servant,  who  returned  with  messages  from  my 
friends  and  relations.  The  excitement  super- 
vening upon  that  woefully  unfortunate  conspiracy 
having  abated,  dissent  nevertheless  continued 
among  my  brothers  and  sisters— another  reason 
why  I  was  in  no  haste  for  renewed  urban  residence. 

My  happiness  was  complete  but  for  one  thing. 
I  missed  the  sea — which  I  had  been  accustomed 
to  gaze  upon  every  day  of  my  life.  My  three 
plantations  all  lay  inland,  but  as  I  knew  not  what 
it  was  to  have  a  wish  unfulfilled,  I  decided  to 
purchase  one  near  the  water.  I  therefore,  after 
due  negotiations,  acquired  the  estate  of  Bububu. 
My  domestic  pets  accompanied  me  thither,  and 
no  doubt  were  surprised,  at  issuing  from  their 
baskets  and  cages,  to  meet  again  in  a  new  court- 
yard; apparently  they  relished  the  change  as 
much  as  I  did.  I  would  sit  watching  them  by 
the  hour,  or  would  idle  along  the  shore,  looking 
out  upon  the  blue  surface  with  the  ships  sailing 
down  from  the  north  toward  the  town  and  the 
swift  fishermen's  boats  that  glided  by  in  quick 
succession. 

At  Bububu  I  was  nearer  the  town,  which  was 
within  easy  reach  by  road  or  water.  Here,  in 
fact,  I  lived  more  sociably  than  at  Kisimbani. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  195 

Three  of  my  brothers  came  out  frequently,  either 
on  horseback  or  by  boat,  and  we  spent  the  time 
happily  together,  chatting,  eating  and  drinking, 
playing  cards,  setting  off  fireworks.  Not  four 
and  twenty  hours  ever  sped  but  one  or  two,  though 
sometimes  no  less  than  ten  ladies  would  visit  me, 
whether  for  a  short  call,  whether  for  several  days. 
My  own  sojourn  at  Bububu  was,  however,  destined 
to  be  exceedingly  brief,  deeply  though  I  felt 
attached  to  the  place.  Because  Majid  sent  me 
word  that  the  new  English  consul  had  expressed 
a  wish  to  purchase  Bububu  for  a  country  seat,  and 
despite  my  great  unwillingness  to  part  with  that 
cherished  possession,  I  could  not  let  the  first 
opportunity  pass  of  showing  repentance  by  mak- 
ing this  sacrifice — toward  one  whom  I  had  so 
wickedly  wronged. 

About  a  week  after  I  had  left  Bububu  and 
settled  in  town  again,  Chole  came  to  see  me  one 
evening.  She  was  in  a  lively  state  of  mind,  as 
I  could  not  help  noticing  the  very  moment  she 
appeared.  Indeed,  she  had  come  with  the  object 
of  upbraiding  me  for  surrendering  my  estate  to 
the  consul,  and  when  I  quietly  remarked  that  this 
was  really  my  own  business,  she  blazed  out  the 
passionate  accusation  that  I  had  sold  my  property 
to  gain  favour  with  Majid,  "the  accursed,"  as 
she  called  him.  She  then  grew  more  violent  still, 
and  at  last  tore  out  of  the  house  with  the  excla- 
mation: "You  may  choose  between  Bargash 


i  g6  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  myself,  and  that  Englishman's  slave !  Good- 
bye!" 

From  that  day  on  I  never  saw  Chole  again, 
although  I  continued  living  in  the  town,  and  it 
was  only  after  my  departure  from  Zanzibar  that 
she  began  to  show  a  less  hostile  spirit.  Mean- 
while I  had  resolved  to  shun  both  Majid  and 
Chaduji,  so  that  the  suspicion  might  not  arise  of 
Chole's  impeachment  having  been  correct  after 
all.  But  there  was  a  surprise  in  store  for  me. 

A  fortnight  from  the  date  of  my  arrival  in  town, 
who  should  come  to  me  but  Majid,  escorted  by  a 
great  retinue!  He  wanted  to  thank  me,  he  said, 
for  pulling  him  out  of  the  dilemma  with  the 
English  consul,  to  refuse  whose  request  would 
have  placed  him  in  an  unpleasant  position.  I 
muttered  some  incoherent  phrases,  and  Majid 
went  on  to  talk  of  other  things,  making  no  allusion 
whatever  to  the  late  conspiracy,  thus  generously 
allowing  me  to  infer  that  he  harboured  no  resent- 
ment on  account  of  it.  We  parted  the  best  of 
friends  after  he  had  asked  me  to  return  the  visit 
to  himself,  Chaduji,  and  my  aunt  Assha,  who  was 
with  them.  But  my  performance  of  this  simple 
act  of  civility  was  to  cost  me  dear;  to  this  day  it 
is  counted  as  a  crime  against  me  by  the  same 
people  whom  I  aided  in  the  plot  to  enthrone 
Bargash.  Such  jealousy  may  seem  incomprehen- 
sible, yet  was  characteristic  of  our  family  when 
under  the  stress  of  factional  contention. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  197 

The  two  parties  existed  as  before,  and  intriguing 
went  on  unabated,  though  less  overtly  and  less 
clamorously.  The  friction  was  the  harder  to  en- 
dure as  none  concealed  their  opinions,  but  gave 
them  unrestrained  vent.  For  the  Oriental  is 
very  candid  by  nature,  and  quite  incapable  of 
dissembling  after  the  masterly  fashion  of  the  Euro- 
pean. When  he  regards  somebody  as  his  bitter 
foe  and  opponent  he  rarely  makes  a  secret  of  it, 
and  cares  not  a  jot  if  he  grossly  insults  him  by 
glance,  word,  or  gesture.  The  fact  is  the  Oriental 
does  not  understand  how  to  behave  in  contradic- 
tion to  his  real  feelings  and  beliefs;  he  is  almost 
entirely  ignorant  of  the  formal  politeness  which 
people  here  adopt  indiscriminately  under  all 
circumstances.  The  mere  attempt  to  sham — 
difficult,  anyhow,  for  our  impetuous,  hot  blood 
— would  invoke  the  aspersion  of  cowardice.  Over 
and  over  again,  in  those  days,  I  used  to  hear 
questions,  like:  Why  should  I  show  myself 
otherwise  than  I  am  ?  Are  not  all  my  thoughts 
and  feelings  plain  to  the  Lord?  Why  should  I 
tremble  or  pretend  in  the  face  of  man? 

On  the  other  hand,  to  see  devoted  and  really 
self-sacrificing  friendship,  one  must  go  to  the  East. 
Not  as  though  such  a  relation  were  possible  only 
there,  but  certain  it  is  that  if  an  Arab  loves  he 
clings  to  the  object  of  his  affection  with  a  fidelity 
that  moves  mountains.  Although  class  distinc- 
tions are  nowhere  more  rigidly  observed,  nowhere 


198  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

do  they  count  for  less  in  a  genuine  friendship. 
Thus  a  prince  treats  a  groom's  son  he  is  fond  of 
just  as  he  would  a  scion  of  noble  lineage,  and  no 
differently ;  a  princess  will  exhibit  the  same  tender- 
ness toward  her  steward's  wife  or  daughter  as  to 
a  lady  of  lofty  rank.  My  sister  Meje,  for  instance, 
took  a  girl  of  humble  station  to  live  in  her  palace, 
and  her  attachment  to  this  poor  and  modest,  yet 
clever  girl,  persisted  until  they  were  separated  by 
death. 

Sometimes  an  aristocratic  lady  will  be  a  close 
friend  to  someone  else's  slave,  not  a  Negress,  to 
be  sure,  but  a  Circassian  or  Abyssinian.  The 
slave  is  then  very  fortunate,  because  her  patroness 
will  buy  her  at  any  figure  so  as  to  set  her  free. 
This  liberation  is  performed  under  legal  auspices, 
establishing  its  inviolability.  Should  a  man  be 
thrown  into  prison,  his  best  friend  allows  himself 
to  be  locked  up  in  the  same  cell  for  a  few  hours 
every  day.  An  exile  his  intimates  will  accompany. 
Mishap  or  sudden  poverty  means  disposal  over 
one's  friends'  purses;  hence  no  appeal  is  ever 
needed  for  public  contributions.  We  are  ac- 
customed to  this  from  youth  up;  and  look  upon  it 
as  a  matter  of  course. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
ELOPEMENT  FROM  ZANZIBAR 

ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  HERR  RUETE — THE  ESCAPE 

— MARRIAGE  AT  ADEN BRIEF  HAPPINESS  IN 

HAMBURG — SUBSEQUENT    GERMAN    DAYS 

DURING  these  dark  days  of  dissension  and  strife 
in  our  family,  I  was  made  happy  by  the  attach- 
ment of  a  young  German  representing  a  Hamburg 
commercial  house  in  Zanzibar.  Inexact  reports 
of  the  details  connected  with  this  event  having 
been  published,  I  think  it  best  to  outline  the  story 
in  brief. 

While  my  brother  Majid  reigned,  Europeans 
enjoyed  great  consideration.  They  were  welcome 
guests  at  his  palace  and  his  estates,  and  were 
always  the  recipients  of  marked  attention.  My 
sister  Chole  and  I  entertained  pleasant  relations 
with  the  Europeans  in  Zanzibar,  expressed  by 
the  exchange  of  such  courtesies  as  the  country's 
customs  permitted.  The  European  ladies  in  Zan- 
zibar for  the  most  part  confined  their  visits  to 
Chole  and  myself.  I  made  my  future  husband's 
acquaintance  after  returning  from  Bububu.  The 
new  house  I  then  took  was  next  to  his,  and  his 
flat  roof  a  little  lower  than  mine ;  from  an  upper 

IQQ 


200  MEMOIRS  OF 

window  I  often  witnessed  the  convivial  men's 
parties  which  he  gave  in  order  to  show  me  Euro- 
pean meals.  Our  friendship,  which  ultimately 
grew  into  deep  mutual  love,  was  bruited  about 
the  town,  and  my  brother  Majid  heard  of  it. 
His  enmity  toward  me  on  this  account,  and  my 
incarceration  were,  however,  fictitious  tales. 

Naturally  I  wished  to  leave  my  country  secretly, 
where  our  union  would  have  been  out  of  the 
question.  The  first  attempt  failed,  but  another 
opportunity  presented  itself.  Through  the  media- 
tion of  my  friend  Mrs.  S.,  wife  to  the  English 
doctor  and  consular  agent,  I  was  one  night  fetched 
away  in  a  boat  by  Mr.  P.,  commander  of  the 
British  war  vessel  Highflyer.  No  sooner  was  I 
on  board  than  her  engines  began  to  move.  The 
Highflyer  took  a  northward  course,  landing  me 
safely  at  my  destination,  the  port  of  Aden.  Here 
I  was  taken  in  by  a  Spanish  couple,  whom  I  had 
known  at  Zanzibar,  and  here  I  patiently  waited 
for  my  intended.  It  took  him  a  few  months  to 
wind  up  his  affairs,  when  he  followed  me  to  Aden. 
Meanwhile  I  had  been  instructed  in  the  Christian 
religion;  my  baptism — with  the  name  of  Emily 
— took  place  in  the  English  chapel  at  Aden,  being 
immediately  succeeded  by  the  marriage  ceremony 
according  to  the  Anglican  rite.  My  husband  and 
I  then  sailed  for  Hamburg,  his  native  town, 
where  his  parents  and  other  relations  gave  us  a 
warm  welcome. 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  201 

I  soon  got  used  to'  the  foreign  surroundings, 
and  zealously  learned  all  I  could  to  fit  me  for  my 
life  here.  My  unforgetable  husband  watched  the 
various  stages  of  my  new  development  with  keen 
interest;  he  took  a  particular  pleasure  in  observing 
the  first  impressions  made  upon  me  by  European 
habits  and  customs.  These  impressions  I  re- 
corded on  paper,  and  may  perhaps  speak  about 
in  the  future. 

Yet  our  happy,  contented  existence  was  to 
last  only  a  short  while.  A  little  over  three  years 
had  elapsed  from  the  date  of  our  settling  in 
Hamburg,  when  my  dearly  beloved  husband 
chanced  to  meet  with  an  accident  in  jumping  from 
a  tramcar.  He  was  run  over,  and  died  after  three 
days  of  intense  suffering.  I  now  stood  alone  in 
this  great,  strange  country  with  three  infants,  of 
whom  the  youngest  counted  but  three  months. 
At  first  I  though  of  returning  to  my  home,  but 
fate  willed  it  that  my  own  dreadful  loss  was  fol- 
lowed, in  two  months,  by  the  decease  of  my  dear 
brother  Majid,  who  had  always  treated  me 
so  kindly.  He  never  even  resented  my  secret 
escape  from  the  island;  as  a  true  Moslem  he  be- 
lieved in  divine  foreordination,  and  was  convinced 
that  this  had  determined  my  departure.  He  gave 
touching  proof  of  his  brotherly  affection,  not  long 
before  he  died,  by  loading  a  ship  with  gifts,  which 
were  to  be  presented  to  me  at  Hamburg;  none  of 
the  articles  reached  me,  for,  as  I  found  out  some 


202  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

years  afterward,  although  the  vessel  came  into 
port,  Majid's  intentions  were  dishonestly  frus- 
trated. I  might  add  that  he  did  not  molest 
my  betrothed  after  my  sudden  disappearance, 
but  allowed  him  to  transact  his  business  in 
perfect  freedom. 

Two  years  more  I  stayed  in  Hamburg,  constantly 
undergoing  fresh  misfortunes.  I  lost  a  consider- 
able part  of  my  property  through  the  fault  of  others, 
and  discovered  that  I  had  to  take  my  affairs  into 
my  own  hands.  Complete  aversion  seized  me 
toward  the  place  where  I  had  once  known  so  much 
happiness,  especially  as  among  some  people  of  the 
town  I  was  not  treated  with  that  civility  which 
was  perhaps  my  due. 

Removing  to  Dresden,  I  met  with  cordial  friend- 
liness in  all  circles.  Thence  I  took  a  journey  to 
London,  of  which  the  next  chapter  will  tell.  When, 
at  a  later  date,  I  conceived  the  desire  to  live  in  a 
quiet  town,  I  chose  that  delightful  little  capital 
Rudolstadt.  There,  too,  I  met  with  a  great  deal 
of  genuine  friendship  and  affection  during  the 
years  of  my  residence,  which  their  Serene  High- 
nesses did  their  most  to  make  agreeable.  My 
health  improving  at  Rudolstadt,  I  decided  upon 
Berlin  as  a  good  place  to  educate  my  children. 
Once  more  I  found  many  friends  who  tried  to 
render  my  sojourn  pleasant.  Royalty  itself  mani- 
fested a  gracious  interest  which  I  shall  remember 
my  whole  life  with  sincere  gratitude. 


CHAPTER  XX 
A  PIECE  OF  ENGLISH  DIPLOMACY 

JOURNEY  TO  LONDON — INTERVIEW  WITH  SIR  BARTLE 
FRERE — THE  CHOICE  OFFERED — AVOIDANCE  OF 
MEETING    BARGASH — RETURN    TO    GERMANY- 
DISAPPOINTMENT DUPLICITY   OF   THE   BRITISH 

GOVERNMENT ITS  MOTIVE 

ALL  this  time  I  was  in  constant  epistolary  com- 
munication with  home,  which  I  never  gave  up  the 
hope  of  visiting.  But  thus  far  my  brother  Bar- 
gash's  obduracy  had  rendered  any  prospect  of 
being  made  welcome  by  my  family  impossible. 
The  reason  for  his  persistent  attitude  of  enmity 
was  sheer  vindictiveness :  he  could  not  forgive 
my  having  resumed  amicable  relations  with  his 
old  antagonist,  Majid.  This  did  not,  however, 
diminish  my  yearning  for  home  and  friends,  and  I 
went  on  secretly  looking  forward  to  a  reconciliation. 
In  the  spring  of  1875  a  report  spread  through 
the  newspapers  that  profoundly  agitated  my  whole 
being:  my  brother  Bargash,  Sultan  of  Zanzibar 
since  Majid's  death,  was  coming  to  London.  At 
first  I  remained  inactive,  concealing  my  uneasiness, 
but  I  was  prevailed  upon — though  after  all  my 
disappointments  I  had  few  illusions  left — to  bestir 

myself.    So  I  concluded  upon  a  journey  to  London, 

203 


204  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  Count  Biilow,  the  German  foreign  secretary, 
led  me  to  believe  that  I  might  expect  diplomatic 
support  from  the  imperial  ambassador,  Count 
Munster,  which,  alas,  proved  of  little  efficiency. 

The  short  interval  at  my  disposal  I  employed 
in  learning  English,  so  as  to  mitigate  my  helpless- 
ness. During  those  two  months  I  would  often 
pore  over  my  books  until  dawn,  conning  words 
and  phrases  by  rote.  And  then  there  was  my 
growing  anxiety  about  the  three  children,  from 
whom  I  had  never  been  separated  for  long. 

Finally  I  started  by  way  of  Ostend.  Worn  out 
and  nervous,  I  reached  the  giant  metropolis,  where 
my  only  acquaintances,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.,  kindly 
took  me  in,  and  did  everything  for  me  they  could. 
Meanwhile,  having  arrived  in  London  a  week 
before  Bargash,  I  called  on  Count  Munster,  who 
assured  me  of  his  good  will.  My  friends  in  Ger- 
many had  made  me  promise  to  act  carefully,  and 
above  all  to  secure  the  English  government's  help 
in  my  cause.  Originally  I  had  felt  disposed,  as 
I  had  found  out  through  experience  how  few 
people  are  to  be  trusted,  to  rely  upon  the  Lord  and 
my  own  efforts;  but  I  yielded  to  my  friends.  The 
fear  that  I  might  be  regaled  with  polite  diplomatic 
formality  and  phraseology,  and  my  affair  then 
pigeon-holed,  was  a  trifle  compared  to  the  actual 
course  of  events.  For  I  had  yet  to  learn  that  I 
was  now  in  a  world  where  lying  and  cheating 
counted  almost  as  virtues. 


Copyright  by  G.  Hansen,  Hamburg 

EMPEROR  WILLIAM   I.   OF    GERMANY 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  205 

One  day  Sir  Bartle  Frere  was  announced.  This 
man,  who  subsequently  became  governor  of  the 
Cape  Colony,  I  knew  by  name  only,  but  if  ever  I 
put  faith  in  a  presentiment  it  was  on  that  day, 
when  my  fondest  hope  and  my'  children's  future 
were  both  doomed.  An  indescribable  feeling  of 
uneasiness  overcame  me  the  moment  I  set  eyes 
upon  the  great  diplomat,  who  lorded  it  over 
Zanzibar  at  will,  and  had  the  Sultan  in  his  pocket, 
so  to  speak. 

The  usual  civilities  exchanged,  Sir  Bartle  began 
by  inquiring  into  my  affairs,  and  particularly 
wanted  to  know  my  reason  for  coming  to  London. 
Although  he  appeared  to  be  perfectly  informed 
already,  I  told  him  my  exact  object.  There  was 
in  fact  little  to  say,  as  I  simply  wished  for  recon- 
ciliation with  my  family.  Imagine  my  surprise, 
therefore,  when  Sir  Bartle  coolly  asked  the  ques- 
tion: Which  was  most  important  to  me,  this 
reconciliation  or  the  security  of  my  children's 
future  prospects?  Even  now  I  scarcely  feel  equal 
to  analysing  the  emotions  aroused  by  his  proposal. 
I  had  anticipated  anything  but  a  stroke  of  that 
sort.  Let  me  be  accused  of  cowardice  or  vacilla- 
tion if  I  wavered  at  such  a  moment.  The  wel- 
fare of  my  children  of  course  stood  higher  than 
my  personal  wishes. 

On  slightly  recovering  from  the  embarrassment 
into  which  this  astonishing  diplomatic  manoeuvre 
had  thrown  me,  I  requested  that  Sir  Bartle 


2o6  MEMOIRS  OF 

explain  the  motive  of  his  proposition.  He  then 
stated  positively  that  the  British  government 
had  no  wish  to  mediate  between  myself  and  my 
brother,  whom  it  regarded  as  its  guest;  and, 
whom,  as  such,  it  must  spare  any  annoyance.  (I 
am  in  doubt,  nevertheless,  as  to  what  would  have 
annoyed  the  Sultan  most :  signing  the  slave  treaty 
under  moral  duress,  and  so  indirectly  acknowl- 
edging English  supremacy,  or  holding  out  his 
hand  to  a  penitent  sister.)  If  I,  on  the  other 
hand,  would  solemnly  engage  not  to  approach 
my  brother,  either  in  person  or  by  letter, 
during  his  visit  to  London,  the  British  author- 
ities would  guarantee  the  material  welfare  of  my 
children. 

Bitterly  disillusioned,  I  now  stood  before  the 
choice  of  acting  independently  and  without  English 
official  assistance  (but  with  the  conviction  that  it 
would  place  insurmountable  difficulties  in  the 
path  of  one  too  weak  to  overcome  them),  or  of 
accepting  governmental  aid  for  my  children.  In 
view  then,  of  the  promise  given  to  my  German 
friends,  not  to  go  alone  and  unprotected  to  my 
brother — although  I  never  thought  he  would  offend 
against  the  laws  of  England  even  if  I  appeared 
before  him  suddenly — I  assented  to  Sir  Bartle 
Frere's  offer.  When,  suspicious  of  the  govern- 
ment's intentions,  a  friend  of  mine  asked  Sir 
Bartle  how  it  had  come  by  such  a  sudden  benevo- 
lent interest  in  my  case,  that  astute  diplomat 


COUNT  BERNHARD   ERNST  VON  BULOW 
Foreign  Secretary  of  the  German  Empire 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  207 

returned  no  less  than  three  reasons:  ist,  We  do 
the  Sultana  favour;  2nd,  We  pacify  the  princess; 
3rd,  We  anticipate  the  German  Chancellor's  (Prince 
Bismarck's)  opportunity  of  taking  a  hand  in  this 
himself.  All  of  which  sounded  plausible  and 
reassuring. 

To  avoid  meeting  Bargash  in  public  places, 
whether  at  museums  or  other  buildings  open  to 
all,  or  in  Hyde  Park,  or  in  the  streets,  I  studied 
the  newspapers,  where  his  daily  excursions  were 
announced  in  advance.  And  I  begged  my  amiable 
hostess  to  excuse  me  from  driving  out  with  her, 
but  this  she  would  not  hear  of  because  my  health 
demanded  that  I  take  fresh  air  regularly.  So, 
when  the  Sultan  went  east  we  drove  west,  and 
vice  versa.  This  precaution  I  believed  absolutely 
necessary,  since  I  felt  diffident  about  my  strength 
of  mind,  and  feared  I  might  break  my  word  if 
I  actually  did  meet  him.  But  it  was  not  likely 
that  in  the  European  clothes  I  now  wore  even 
my  sainted  mother  would  have  recognised  me, 
much  less  a  brother,  who  had  usually  seen  me 
veiled. 

I  should  have  preferred  to  reembark  for  Ger- 
many, leaving  behind  me  the  place  that  had 
witnessed  the  defeat  of  my  hopes.  But  even  this 
satisfaction  was  denied  me.  Far  from  my  children, 
I  was  to  go  on  suffering  untold  agonies  for  weeks 
in  a  city  where  I  had  known  nothing  but  grief  and 
disappointment:  Sir  Bartle  Frere  had  ordained 


208  MEMOIRS  OF 

that  I  must  draw  up  a  detailed  memorial.  Un- 
versed in  such  matters,  and  mentally  reduced  to 
an  automatic  state,  I  gladly  allowed  my  kind 
friends  to  undertake  this  report  for  me,  supposing, 
naturally,  that  only  good  could  come  of  it.  When 
it  was  done,  at  the  end  of  about  six  weeks,  I  went 
back  to  Germany  and  my  children. 

Zanzibar  being  then  looked  upon  as  a  future 
British  dependency,  my  memorial  had  first  to  be 
submitted  to  the  authorities  in  India.  A  few 
months  passed,  until  one  day  I  received  a  letter 
from  London.  It  inclosed  the  copy  of  a  document 
which  the  British  government  had  handed  the 
German  Ambassador  for  transmission  to  myself, 
and  which  contained  nothing  else  than  a  brief 
rejection  of  that  very  memorial  so  urgently  in- 
sisted upon  by  Sir  Bartle  Frere.  As  a  reason  for 
declining  to  consider  the  memorial,  the  document 
stated  that  I,  having  married  a  German,  and  living 
in  Germany,  my  case  would  be  of  greater  interest 
to  the  German  government,  This  lame  subter- 
fuge was  the  more  ridiculous  as  I  had  appealed 
for  alms  neither  to  the  one  government  nor  the 
other,  but  had  solely  asked  for  the  moral  support 
of  both.  Sir  Bartle  Frere  had  himself  suggested 
the  memorial — the  same  diplomat  who  had  wormed 
out  of  me  a  vow  to  abstain  from  seeing  my 
brother  in  exchange  for  my  children's  assured 
prosperity. 

Whether    such    treatment    of   an    unfortunate 


SIR  BARTLE  FRERE 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  209 

woman  was  worthy  of  a  great  country  like  Eng- 
land, I  leave  to  the  decision  of  the  fair-minded.  But 
I  should  like  to  ask  if  the  British  government, 
represented  by  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  when  it  made 
that  offer  to  me  was  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  I 
had  married  a  German,  and  was  therefore  a  German 
subject?  The  point  was  never  brought  up  when 
the  promise  was  lured  from  me  not  to  see  my 
brother.  I  had  kept  to  my  part  of  the  agreement 
faithfully  and  conscientiously.  You  perceive  that 
while  I  was  in  a  position  to  communicate  with  my 
brother,  then  I  was  not  a  German  individual  of 
no  importance  to  the  English,  but  the  Sultan's 
sister,  who  might  have  harmed  English  interests; 
but  lo  and  behold,  after  my  brother  had  gone  home 
again,  I  became  innocuous,  and  this  card  was 
played  to  get  rid  of  me  forever. 

Later  on  I  was  informed  as  to  why  the 
authorities  wanted  to  prevent  a  reconciliation 
between  me  and  Bargash.  The  Sultan  being 
ignorant  of  any  European  language,  and  not 
understanding  the  refinements  of  European  state- 
craft, the  English  were  quite  willing  he  should 
remain  in  darkness,  for  he  would  thus  less  likely 
balk  when  it  came  to  signing  certain  treaties.  If 
I  made  up  with  him,  I,  with  some  knowledge  of 
European  ideas,  might  tell  him  things  advan- 
tageous perhaps  for  the  ruler  of  Zanzibar  to  know, 
but  inconvenient  for  the  designs  of  the  British 
government. 


210  AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS 

Yet  I  must  note  a  great  difference  between  the 
English  government  and  English  society,  among 
which  latter  I  encountered  warm  sympathy,  and 
to  some  of  whose  members  I  shall  feel  indebted 
for  the  rest  of  my  life. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
VISIT  TO  THE  OLD  HOME 

EMBARKATION — ALEXANDRIA — EGYPTIAN      DISLIKE 

OF  THE  ENGLISH TRAVEL  IN  THE  SUEZ  CANAL 

—THE  RED  HOT  SEA — ARRIVAL — WELCOME  BY 

THE      POPULACE CAUSING      DISPLEASURE      TO 

SEYYID      BARGASH HIS     OFFICIAL      FACTOTUM 

AN  EX-LAMP  CLEANER — DILAPIDATION  AND  DE- 
CAY— BARGASH'S  FRIGHTFUL  CRUELTY — THE 
AUTHORESS'S  CLAIMS  UNSETTLED — BRITISH  IN- 
FLUENCE OVER  THE  SULTAN — CONCLUSION 

WHEN  I  penned  the  preceding  chapter,  a  few 
years  back,  I  had  almost  entirely  given  up  the 
realisation  of  a  wish  that  filled  all  my  thought  and 
being.  The  eventful  times  since  I  had  left  my 
Southern  home  had  been  a  period  of  well-nigh 
incredible  stress  and  storm.  I  had  gone  through 
the  strangest  experiences,  including  some  that 
one  would  not  even  desire  for  an  enemy.  By 
means  of  a  strong  constitution  I  managed  to 
endure  the  severe  Northern  climate  a  long  time, 
but  at  last,  yielding  to  my  inclination  for  a  change, 
two  years  ago  I  conceived  the  idea  of  revisiting 
Zanzibar  with  my  three  children. 

Confidently   I   took  the  necessary  steps,    and 
met  with  hearty  cooperation  from  the  authorities. 

211 


212  MEMOIRS  OF 

Matters  dragged  none  the  less,  and  I  was  about 
to  despair  anew  of  ever  seeing  my  country  again, 
when  one  day  came  a  letter  from  the  office  of  the 
imperial  Foreign  Secretary,  bidding  me  hold  myself 
in  readiness  for  departure  to  Zanzibar.  The  news 
agitated  me  to  such  a  degree  that  I  did  not  imme- 
diately appreciate  my  good  fortune.  Next  to 
praising  and  thanking  the  Lord  for  His  wonderful 
guidance,  I  felt  under  profound  obligations  to- 
ward our  revered,  beloved  emperor  and  his  ex- 
alted government ;  my  children  and  I  shall  always 
remember  them  with  intense  gratitude. 

On  the  first  of  July,  1885,  I  started  with  my 
children  from  Berlin,  safely  reaching  Trieste  on 
the  third,  by  way  of  Breslau  and  Vienna.  Not 
until  I  was  actually  settled  on  board  the  Lloyd 
steamer  Venus,  which  weighed  anchor  at  noon 
that  day,  did  I  feel  free  enough  from  anxiety  to 
enjoy  the  peace  I  had  so  sadly  missed  of  late.  The 
morning  of  the  fifth  we  were  at  Corfu.  A  few 
hours'  drive  gave  us  acquaintance  with  the  best 
sights  of  that  charming  island,  whence  we  pro- 
ceeded, past  barren  Ithaca,  at  Greece's  southern- 
most extremity,  and  lofty  Candia,  to  the  port  of 
Alexandria. 

At  setting  foot  on  shore  here,  among  the  palm 
trees  and  the  minarets,  a  warm  sensation  of 
homelikeness  flooded  over  me,  which  can  only  be 
understood  by  such  as  have  been  long  absentees 
under  similar  circumstances.  The  real  South  I 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  213 

had  not  laid  eyes  on  for  nineteen  years;  during 
this  whole  time  I  had  sat  by  the  stove  in  Germany, 
winter  after  winter.  Even  if  I  had  become  a 
Northern  resident,  with  the  multifarious  duties 
of  a  German  housewife  falling  to  my  lot,  my 
thoughts  were  usually  far,  far  away.  I  knew  of 
no  entertainment,  no  distraction  that  I  preferred 
to  poring  over  a  book  describing  the  South.  No 
wonder  if  at  the  aspect  of  Alexandria  I  nearly 
went  out  of  my  senses,  and  stood  watching  the 
bustle  of  the  harbour  as  if  in  a  dream. 

At  the  custom  house  we  were  required  to  iden- 
tify ourselves.  Resolved  not  to  tell  my  name  if 
it  could  possibly  be  avoided,  I  asked  a  travelling 
companion  to  lend  me  one  of  her  visiting  cards, 
which,  to  my  astonishment,  was  accepted  as 
sufficient  proof.  Literally  besieged  by  the  noisy 
mob,  we  had  pains  enough  to  get  a  cab,  and  so 
reach  our  hotel.  Two  dozen  people  surrounded 
us,  clamorously  offering  their  services,  and  per- 
sisting until  driven  off  by  the  police.  The  cab 
could  then  begin  to  move,  but  not  without  one 
enterprising  individual  jumping  on  behind,  and 
recommending  himself  loudly  as  an  interpreter 
as  we  drove  along;  that  I  spoke  Arabic  myself, 
and  therefore  could  do  without  one,  seemed  an 
incomprehensible  mystery  to  him. 

The  two  days  we  spent  here  at  an  hotel,  which 
was  dear  and  dirty,  went  by  in  a  flash.  I  liked 
best  going  to  the  Arab  quarter  of  the  town,  whose 


2i4  MEMOIRS  OF 

animated  life  afforded  me  continual  pleasure. 
No  sooner  would  I  address  the  people  in  Arabic — 
they  began  by  scanning  me  suspiciously — than 
their  faces  cleared,  and  their  eyes  lit  up. 
" Mother,"  they  would  cry,  " where  did  you  learn 
to  speak  our  language  so  well?  You  must  have 
lived  in  Bagdad;  how  long  were  you  ther6?" 
Our  cabman  took  such  a  fancy  to  us  that  he 
finally  besought  me  to  take  him  as  a  servant;  he 
swore  he  would  be  faithful  to  me  all  his  life  and 
would  never  touch  a  drop  of  my  wine.  The  poor 
fellow  was  much  grieved  to  learn  that  I  could 
not  entertain  his  project. 

The  once  beautiful  city  of  Alexandria  still  lies 
in  ruins — a  monument  to  English  "  humanitarian- 
ism!"  Excepting  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt  and  a  few 
of  his  ministers — mere  creatures  of  Britain — all 
natives  cordially  detest  the  English.  On  several 
occasions  I  heard  very  disparaging  remarks  passed 
about  them  by  people  in  the  shops  and  the  streets. 
I  was  repeatedly  asked  whether  I  was  English, 
and  when  I  said  I  was  a  German  this  would  make 
a  favourable  impression.  Neither  has  the  Euro- 
pean colony  at  Alexandria  any  better  opinion  of 
the  English. 

From  Alexandria  we  got  to  Port  Said  in  a 
passage  of  eighteen  hours.  Here  we  met  the 
supply  ship  Adler,  of  the  German  East  African 
squadron,  and  were  taken  on  board.  Although 
Port  Said  is  but  a  small  harbour  town,  you  can 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  215 

get  almost  anything  there;  the  shops  abound  with 
all  luxuries  the  heart  of  man  could  desire. 

At  this  place  begins  the  desert  and  the  canal 
that  runs  through  it,  connecting  the  Mediterranean 
with  the  Red  Sea.  The  channel  is  so  narrow  that 
vessels  cannot  pass  each  other.  Species  of  sidings 
therefore  exist  at  intervals,  distinguished  by  signs 
erected  on  shore,  as  "Gare  Limite  Sud"  or  "Gare 
Limite  Nord."  A  ship  may  have  to  wait  at  a 
siding  for  hours  until  one  from  the  other  direction 
shall  have  passed  by.  At  Port  Said  every  steamer 
takes  on  board  a  pilot,  who  knows  how  to  get 
it  safely  through,  understanding  the  ball  signals 
run  up  on  ropes  which  indicate  whether  you  are 
to  wait,  how  many  ships  you  must  allow  to  pass, 
and  so  forth.  No  ship  may  go  through  the  canal 
at  full  steam,  because  a  heavy  swell  might  damage 
the  unsubstantial  sandy  banks.  Traffic  is  sus- 
pended altogether  at  night. 

The  channel  widens  at  Suez,  and  we  steamed 
through  into  the  Red  Sea.  Oppressive  enough  in 
the  canal,  the  heat  became  unendurable  between 
the  high  rocky  sides  of  the  Gulf.  We  were  bathed 
in  perspiration  day  and  night.  As  for  me,  the 
homelike  temperature  agreed  with  me  capitally, 
but  my  children  it  did  not  suit,  making  them  show 
irritation  and  enervation.  The  sea  was  running 
too  high  to  permit  the  opening  of  the  port  holes, 
and  as  the  air  below  grew  thicker,  we  spent  the 
night  on  deck  in  wicker  chairs,  uncomfortably 


2i6  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  restlessly.  The  passage  to  Aden  lasted  a 
week,  and  there  we  stuck  for  five  days  before  the 
Adler  was  ordered  to  continue  on  the  voyage.  On 
the  second  of  August  the  isle  of  Pemba  hove  in 
sight,  and,  oh,  what  joy!  For  this  meant  that  the 
coast  of  Zanzibar  was  no  more  than  thirty  miles 
distant,  and  easily  attainable  in  three  hours.  But 
as  night  was  upon  us  we  stopped  at  the  North  Cape, 
since  it  would  then  have  been  dangerous  to  attempt 
the  port,  because  of  the  sand-bars. 

The  following  day  we  were  up  betimes.  On 
the  horizon  the  forest  of  masts  in  the  harbour  was 
visible.  Steaming  along  the  shore  we  could 
plainly  discern  the  palm  groves  dotted  with  Negro 
villages.  After  much  signalling  an  anchoring 
ground  was  assigned  us,  which  we  however  had 
to  change  very  soon.  We  found  four  German 
men-of-war  lying  in  the  harbour,  the  Stosch, 
Gneisenau,  Elisabeth,  and  Prinz  Adalbert,  two 
vessels  belonging  to  the  English  navy,  five  steamers 
of  the  Sultan's,  and  several  sailing  ships.  Com- 
modore Paschen  thought  it  advisable  to  regard 
me  as  " secret  cargo,"  a  designation  that  greatly 
amused  the  officers  of  the  squadron.  But  as  soon 
as  the  gallant  Admiral  Knorr  arrived  with  the 
Bismarck  the  situation  altered,  and  I  was  free  to 
go  ashore  as  I  liked. 

Upon  our  first  visit  to  the  town  I  seemed  to  read 
unfeigned  surprise  in  the  countenances  of  the 
people  who  crowded  about  us.  Right  and  left 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  217 

they  exclaimed,  in  Arabic  and  Suahili,  "  Welcome, 
mistress!"  Did  we  enter  a  shop  to  make  pur- 
chases, a  vast  throng  would  gather  outside,  respect- 
fully making  room  when  we  emerged  again.  Day 
by  day  our  voluntary  escort  grew  in  number,  and 
the  populace  became  more  and  more  enthusiastic. 
This  of  course  angered  both  the  Sultan  and  his 
political  adviser,  the  British  consul-general;  in 
fact  Bargash  had  some  whipped  for  following  us. 
Then  he  and  the  English  official  saw  fit  to  make  a 
complaint  to  the  commander  of  the  squadron 
because  of  the  popular  demonstrations  in  my 
favour.  Hearing  of  this,  I  warned  the  people 
against  accompanying  me  any  more,  but  they 
replied  that  the  risk  of  punishment  should  not 
deter  them.  Slaves  would  approach  me  with 
messages  from  their  mistresses  begging  me  to 
accept  the  assurance  of  their  fidelity  and  devotion ; 
they  wanted  to  visit  me  on  board,  and  said  their 
houses  were  open  to  me.  Notes  secreted  under 
their  caps  were  also  surreptitiously  slipped  into 
my  hand  by  slaves.  Passing  by  a  house  I  would 
sometimes  observe  ladies  who  had  hidden  behind 
the  door  in  expectation;  when  I  passed  by  they 
would  speak  to  me,  or  would  simply  call  out, 
"God  be  with  you,  and  keep  you  in  good 
health!"  My  brothers,  sisters,  other  relations, 
and  former  friends  repeatedly  sent  word  ask- 
ing me  to  come  and  see  them;  but  I  declined 
all  these  invitations,  not  from  personal 


218  MEMOIRS  OF 

reasons,    but    because     compelled     by     circum- 
stances. 

If  we  went  by  the  palace  in  rowboats,  or  under 
the  windows  of  the  royal  harem,  the  Sultan's 
wives  waved  their  hands  to  us;  and  as  naval 
officers  accompanied  us  on  our  expeditions  I  was 
abliged  to  request  these  gentlemen  not  to  return 
the  salutes,  for  the  ladies'  own  sakes.  I  even 
avoided  doing  it  myself,  in  order  to  save  the 
thoughtless  fair  ones  from  destruction,  it  having 
been  reported  to  me  that  their  lord  and  master 
was  wont  to  hide  somewhere  in  the  palace,  and 
overlook  the  water  or  the  street,  so  that  he  might 
catch  delinquents,  and  punish  them.  Nor  is  this 
invention.  It  is  quite  well  known  that,  a  year 
before  my  visit  to  Zanzibar,  the  concealed  Sultan 
detected  a  favourite — a  lovely  Circassian — ex- 
changing salutations  with  a  Portuguese  who  was 
passing  in  a  skiff.  This  is  by  no  means  a  new 
custom.  I  remember  how,  thirty  years  ago,  in 
the  days  of  my  childhood,  we  were  bowed  to  by 
Europeans,  especially  by  French  and  English 
naval  officers,  and  by  resident  traders ;  we  used  to 
acknowledge  the  compliment  in  the  same  way, 
and  never  did  our  men  folk  raise  the  least  objection. 
Yet  Bargash  took  a  different  view.  He  flogged  his 
Circassian  so  brutally  with  his  own  hands  for  the 
offence,  that  a  few  days  after  she  gave  up  the  ghost. 
He  is  said  to  have  implored  her  forgiveness  in  vain ; 
he  still  has  prayers  said  over  her  grave, 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  219 

On  our  excursions  into  the  interior  we  often 
met  people  riding  on  donkeys.  To  show  their 
respect  they  would  get  off,  lead  the  animals  past 
by  the  reins,  and  then  mount  them  again.  Despite 
the  Sultan's  chastisements  the  inhabitants  per- 
sisted in  their  demonstrations  of  attachment,  and 
of  course  the  shouts  of  "Kuaheri,  bibi"  (Fare- 
well, mistress),  resounding  almost  under  his  win- 
dows whenever  we  started  back  for  shipboard, 
must  have  annoyed  him.  Every  time  our  boats 
neared  shore  somebody  beat  an  old  biscuit  tin 
like  a  drum — so  I  was  told — to  bring  the  people 
together. 

Naturally  there  were  always  spies  on  our  trail, 
mostly  East  Indians,  to  whose  intense  chagrin 
we  conversed  in  German.  The  very  evening 
before  my  departure,  two  faithful  friends,  who 
had  ventured  out  to  the  ship  under  cover  of  dark- 
ness, called  to  my  notice  the  sombre  figure  of  a 
man  who  had  frequently  honoured  us  with  his 
attentions  as  a  peddler,  the  clever  tool  of  the  in- 
fluential, quondam  lamp  cleaner  and  court  barber, 
Pera  Dauji.  An  excessively  crafty  Hindu,  this 
individual  has  worked  himself  up  to  the  position 
of  a  factotum  to  the  Sultan,  undertaking  any  kind 
of  job,  high  or  low.  All  diplomatic  negotiations 
go  through  his  hands,  which  same  hands  wait 
upon  the  Sultan's  guests  at  table.  He  draws  the 
huge  salary  of  thirty  dollars  a  month!  Every- 
body in  Zanzibar  takes  good  care  to  keep  on  the 


220  MEMOIRS  OP 

right  side  of  the  omnipotent  Pera  Dauji,  who, 
unable  to  maintain  himself  in  such  splendid  rai- 
ment on  thirty  dollars,  seeks  other  channels  of 
revenue.  The  court  jeweller,  by  refusing  the  ex- 
lamp  cleaner  a  percentage  on  all  of  the  Sultan's 
orders,  lost  this  custom,  which  Pera  Dauji  trans- 
ferred to  a  more  pliable  competitor. 

Long  residence  abroad  has  perhaps  made  me 
fastidious;  at  any  rate  the  inner  part  of  the  town 
looked  to  me  in  a  deplorable  condition.  Ruins 
all  along  the  streets,  that  were  narrow  and  kept 
none  too  clean;  ruins  everywhere  overgrown  with 
weeds  and  even  with  trees  sprouting  up.  No  one 
seemed  to  care;  everyone  walked  on  indifferent, 
picking  their  way  through  a  network  of  puddles 
and  rubbish  heaps.  Ash  and  refuse  pits  are  un- 
known— the  open  street  serving  their  purpose. 
Nor  can  the  art  of  municipal  administration  be 
quite  easy,  otherwise  the  Sultan,  who  has  known 
the  pleasure  of  clean  streets  in  Bombay,  England, 
and  France,  would  have  remedied  the  evil  long  ago, 
Meanwhile  he  has  introduced  the  manufacture  of 
ice,  electric  light,  a  so-called  railway,  and  other  fine 
things,  not  least  of  them  French  cooks  and  cookery. 

The  terrible  decay  of  the  inner  town  was  most 
painful  to  me,  but  as  yet  I  had  no  notion  in  what 
state  I  should  find  my  venerable  Bet  il  Mtoni 
again.  Coming  upon  the  place  where  I  had  first 
beheld  the  light  of  day,  I  sustained  a  severe  shock. 
What  a  spectacle  it  was!  Instead  of  a  house  an 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  221 

utter  ruin;  not  a  sound  to  rouse  me  from  the 
depressing  sensation  caused  by  the  unexpected 
sight.  It  took  me  some  time  to  recover.  One 
staircase  was  completely  gone,  the  other  over- 
grown and  shaky  enough  to  be  dangerous.  More 
than  half  the  house  was  in  ruins,  left  just  as  it  had 
fallen;  the  roofs  had  vanished  from  the  bath- 
houses, some  of  which  were  represented  by  piles 
of  rubbish;  the  parts  still  standing  were  likewise 
floorless  or  roofless.  Dilapidation  and  decay  at 
every  hand!  In  the  courtyard  all  manner  of 
weeds  flourished.  Nothing  was  left  to  remind 
the  spectator  of  the  former  splendours  of  that 
palace. 

Having  alluded  in  this  final  chapter  to  the  head 
of  our  family  in  Zanzibar,  I  feel  tempted  to  unveil 
a  few  more  episodes  from  his  career.  It  cuts  me 
deeply  to  expose  one  of  my  own  blood,  for,  all 
the  years  of  separation  from  my  people  notwith- 
standing, and  regardless  of  Bargash's  cruelty 
toward  me,  who  once  staked  life  and  property  for 
his  success,  I  have  yet  an  inextinguishable  senti- 
ment of  family  affection.  But  Seyyid  Bargash 
is  a  man  without  a  grain  of  compassion  either  for 
his  subjects  or  his  closest  of  kin. 

It  is  commonly  known  in  Zanzibar  how,  upon 
succeeding  to  the  throne,  he  imprisoned  his  next 
brother,  Khalifa,  sans  reason  or  excuse.  For 
years  the  unfortunate  languished  in  iron  footrings 
weighted  with  chains.  Why?  Nobody  ever  could 


222  MEMOIRS  OF 

tell.  Perhaps  he  feared  that  Khalifa,  being  near- 
est in  succession,  might  head  just  such  a  conspir- 
acy as  himself  once  had  fomented  against  Majid. 
When  a  sister  whom  he  had  affronted  was  starting 
on  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  Bargash's  conscience 
disturbed  him,  and  he  entreated  her  pardon;  he 
dared  not  face  a  curse  invoked  upon  him  in  the 
Prophet's  holy  city.  Yet  she  declined  to  forgive 
him  until  he  released  his  innocent  brother. 

Nevertheless,  Bargash  continued  to  keep  an  eye 
on  Khalifa  and  his  friends.  Learning  that  one  of 
his  brother's  intimates  was  well  blessed  with 
worldly  goods,  he  recollected  how  alliances  with 
rich  chiefs  had  once  been  important  to  himself, 
and  determined  to  rid  his  heir  presumptive  of  any 
such  valuable  support.  So  he  sent  for  Khalifa's 
friend,  and  said  to  him,  in  substance:  "I  have 
heard  that  you  propose  to  sell  your  plantations; 
tell  me  how  much  you  expect,  as  I  should  like  to 
acquire  them."  "That  must  be  a  mistake," 
replied  the  other;  "I  never  had  an  idea  of  selling 
my  property."  "But,"  returned  the  Sultan,  "it 
will  be  to  your  advantage  if  you  sell  me  your  land. 
Think  the  matter  over." 

Soon  he  was  summoned  into  the  royal  presence 
again,  and  once  more  he  explained  that  he  had  no 
design  of  selling,  this  time  however  receiving  the 
conclusive  answer:  "It  is  not  of  the  slightest 
consequence  what  your  intentions  may  be.  I 
will  give  you  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Here  is  an 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  223 

order  for  the  money. "  Sorrowfully  the  poor 
wretch  took  himself  off — to  meet  with  a  still  worse 
blow.  Because  when  he  tried  to  cash  the  order 
he  was  informed  that  the  sum  was  payable  in 
twenty  yearly  instalments  of  two  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars  each.  The  man  was  therefore 
ruined — exactly  what  the  Sultan  had  planned. 

Another  incident,  that  makes  me  blush  with 
shame,  and  fills  my  soul  with  pity:  A  malicious 
piece  of  slander  had  spread  concerning  one  of  my 
sisters ;  she  was  alleged  to  be  in  love  with  someone 
not  approved  of  by  Bargash  for  a  brother-in-law. 
The  Sultan  went  to  her,  charging  her  with  the 
offence.  In  vain  did  she  protest  total  ignorance 
of  the  affair:  this  tender-hearted  brother  per- 
sonally administered  fifty  lashes  to  his  own  sister 
with  a  cane !  As  a  consequence  she  was  laid  up 
in  bed  for  a  month,  and  suffered  from  the  effects 
of  his  brutal  treatment  long  after.  No  doubt  he 
will  some  day  have  prayers  said  over  her  grave,  as 
in  the  case  of  his  Circassian  wife. 

You  often  hear  how  highly  Europeans  praise 
the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar's  affability;  the  real  truth 
may  be  judged  from  what  I  have  written  about 
him.  Certainly,  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  he 
hates  nothing  more  than  the  mere  name  of  a 
European.  And  what  of  his  pretended  friendship 
toward  Germany?  I  fancy  the  German  East 
African  society  possesses  material  enough  to  dis- 
prove it. 


224  MEMOIRS  OF 

That  I  could  not  expect  much  from  Seyyid 
Bargash  in  liquidation  of  my  private  claims  may 
readily  be  understood.  The  newspapers  spread 
the  fictitious  report  that  I  went  back  to  Germany 
in  full  possession  of  my  inheritance,  this  amounting 
to  the  proceeds  derived  from  the  sale  of  twenty- 
eight  houses.  I  received  not  a  single  penny;  my 
claims,  acknowledged  as  just  even  by  the  British 
consul-general — and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal- 
remain  unsettled  to  this  day.  The  stupendous 
figure  of  six  thousand  rupees  (about  five  hundred 
pounds  sterling),  which  my  opulent  brother  prof- 
fered as  a  total  settlement,  I  declined  with  thanks. 
Since  Bargash's  accession  five  of  my  brothers,  five 
sisters,  my  aunt  Assha,  three  nieces,  one  nephew, 
and  a  rich  stepmother  have  died,  and  I  am  entitled 
to  a  share  of  all  their  property.  The  Sultan  re- 
jected the  reconciliation  with  me  suggested  by  the 
German  government  in  empty  phrases;  he  must 
have  congratulated  himself  when  my  personal 
affairs  became  overshadowed  by  political  questions. 

Another  unpleasant  matter.  Everyone  familiar 
with  Zanzibar  is  fully  aware  that  the  Sultan  rules 
but  in  small  things,  whereas  the  British  consul- 
general  manages  the  rest.  His  very  enemies  admit 
him  to  be  an  accomplished  diplomat.  Now,  were 
I  as  inexperienced  as  to  diplomatic  practice  and 
strategy  as  I  was  ten  years  ago,  and  did  I  take 
each  well-sounding  word  for  true  coinage,  I  should 
most  likely  have  believed  what  the  consul-general 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  225 

told  a  high  officer  belonging  to  the  German  fleet 
—that  he  regretted  immensely  not  to  have  been 
able  to  do  something  for  me — that  unluckily  no 
opportunity  had  presented  itself  for  him  to  see  the 
Sultan  and  to  express  my  wishes  in  that  quarter. 
I  soon  discovered  that  a  fortnight  earlier  the  gen- 
tleman had  spent  several  days  with  the  Sultan 
on  one  of  his  estates.  One  also  hears  of  an  active 
telephone  wire  connecting  the  Sultan's  palace  with 
his  Britannic  Majesty's  consulate-general. 

While  nearing  Zanzibar,  I  felt  extreme  doubts 
as  to  the  reception  that  awaited  me  there.  I 
hardly  expected  my  brother  would  disregard 
German  wishes  entirely,  and  I  was  not  mistaken. 
And  I  was  prepared  for  his  merely  tolerating  my 
presence  in  the  island  out  of  consideration  for 
Germany.  The  villainous  treatment  he  had  given 
other  brothers  and  sisters  of  mine  certainly  prog- 
nosticated no  friendly  spirit.  But  then  there 
was  the  further  question — how  would  the  people 
take  my  arrival?  To  which  I  can  fortunately 
answer  that  I  got  the  warmest  welcome.  Arabs, 
Hindus,  and  natives  all  joined  in  begging  me  to 
spend  the  rest  of  my  days  in  Zanzibar.  This  con- 
firmed my  belief  that  they  entertained  no  religious 
prejudice  against  me  for  having  turned  Christian. 
Indeed,  one  Arab  said  that  he  always  looked  upon 
me  as  my  father's  daughter,  that  my  change  of 
religion  had  been  decreed  from  the  beginning  of 
the  world,  that  my  departure  and  return  had  both 


226  MEMOIRS  OF 

been  ordained  under  the  Divine  will.  ' '  And  now, ' ' 
he  added,  "  surely  you  and  your  children  are  going 
to  stay  with  us." 

Such  proofs  of  attachment  and  devotion,  com- 
bined with  the  blissful  joy  of  having  seen  my  dear 
country  once  more,  have  sustained  my  soul  in 
many  a  heavy  hour,  have  made  my  voyage  an 
event  of  lifelong  happiness,  and  I  cannot  but 
humbly  offer  repeated  praise  and  gratitude  to 
God  for  His  great  goodness  and  mercy. 

My  second  parting  from  home  was  not  accom- 
plished without  bitter  pangs,  shared  by  my  friends, 
of  whose  farewell  letter,  written  in  Arabic  and 
sent  to  me  in  Germany,  I  now  give  a  literal  transla- 
tion as  a  fitting  conclusion  to  my  book: 


''They  went  hence  without  telling  me  they  were 
going; 

That  tore  my  heart,  and  filled  my  soul  with  a 
consuming  fire. 

Oh,  that  I  had  clung  hard  to  their  necks  when 
they  left  us: 

For  they  might  have  sat  on  my  head  and 
walked  on  my  eyes ! 

They  dwell  in  my  heart,  and  when  they  went 

They  hurt  my  soul  as  it  had  never  been  hurt 
before. 

My  body  is  wasted,  and  my  tears  flow  without 
ceasing; 


AN  ARABIAN  PRINCESS  227 

One  after  another  they  roll  over  my  cheeks  like 
the  waves  of  the  sea. 

Oh,  Lord  of  the  universe,  bring  us  together  ere 
we  die, 

Even  though  it  be  but  a  few  days  before ! 

If  we  live,  we  shall  meet  again, 

And  when  we  die  the  immortal  part  of  us  shall 
survive. 

Oh,  that  I  weie  a  bird: 

Then  would  I  longingly  soar  away  after  them! 

But  how  can  a  bird  fly  whose  wings  are 
clipped?" 


THE    END 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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OVERDUE. 


MA 


MAY  11    ias6 

OCT  10  J973 

MAY  11   1936 

MAY  16  1944 

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j    „ 

34  ar. 

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LD  21-100m-7,'33 


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GENERAL  LIBRARY  •  U.C.  BERKELEY 


.' 


